All the Lies
by PeopleChangeMemoriesDont
Summary: This is the eighth Pretty Little Liars book, Wanted, from Alison's point of view. All of the plotting and lies, through Alison's eyes. Rated T for some language. It's better than it sounds, I promise. R&R please!
1. The beginning of the end

**Hey, everybody! I absolutely love the Pretty Little Liars books, and I got this idea for a fanfiction! I've already written a fanfic for Titanic, which turned out to be very popular. So, this is the eighth book from Alison's point of view, with all the plotting and lies. It starts when the DiLaurentis's call everyone out to their home to announce that "Courtney" exists.**

Carefully, I peeked out of the window onto the lawn, flooded with those pesky, crazed reporters and curious bystanders who had nowhere else to be.

Today was the day. The day that my parents would announce my existence. The day that I had been waiting for, for nearly 5 years. The day that I could put my plan into action, my plan to give these meddlesome bitches what they deserved.

Bile rose in my throat as I stared out at the four of them, huddled together like sheep, unsure of where else to go. What had Courtney ever seen in them? Emily Fields had limp, strawberry blond hair, freckles that looked like pimples, and broad shoulders. Spencer Hastings looked like an overworked intern at some godforsaken sweatshop. Aria Montgomery—my God, what was she _wearing?_—was using ChapStick in an attempt to soften her dry, cracked lips. And, although I couldn't deny that Hannah Marin looked, well, gorgeous, she had looked like a big piece of ham when Courtney had plucked her out of oblivion.

Emily glanced over in my direction, and I let the curtain drop. No need for her to be freaked out…yet. I leaned against the door, listening to my mother drone on and on about how _sad_ Jenna's murder was. Yes, she was a sweet girl, but she knew too much. It was unpreventable.

I recognized my cue to step outside. My backstabbing mother always needed to be in control of absolutely everything that happened, giving me a _cue_ like it was some sort of play. She didn't know anything, though—hell, she didn't even realize that her daughters switched places. I would take my revenge on her once I was done with Courtney's little posse.

Forcing a sweet smile on my face, I walked outside. I wasn't nervous; _I'm Ali and I'm fabulous. _ There was a collective gasp from the audience, and a few people screamed. The next second, there was a roar of sound from the audience, and cameras flashed, nearly making me dizzy. I gazed around at the audience, letting them take in my black leggings and tights, blue oxford shirt, cropped white jacket, striped scarf, and hair pulled into a bun. Hey, just because it was my dearest ambition to scratch all of their eyes out, didn't mean that I couldn't look beautiful.

I noticed Emily staring openmouthed at me, looking like her wildest dreams had come true. _Oh, yes._ I remembered reading in Courtney's diary that Emily had a puppy crush on her, and it looked as though it would be pretty easy to transfer it to me. Slowly and seductively, I winked, watching Emily's face turn bright red. This might actually be fun.

Then I noticed Melissa Hastings glaring at me. I paled. Jason, acting through the power of love, had told Melissa about my insane, evil (and thanks to me, dead) sister. Did she suspect me? But no, she couldn't. However, better to not take a chance.

I got each of the bitches to look me in the eye, then nodded toward the door of the house. I whispered to my mother, "I'm feeling tired. May I please go inside?"

She nodded, still eating up the reporter's attention, not even glancing at me. "My daughter is a little overwhelmed. She's going to go back inside for a while to rest."

I walked back to the door, pausing to raise an eyebrow at the girls. They better come, because it would be a lot harder to get them to the Poconos this weekend if we weren't friends. I had already formulated a plan to kill them—make friends, go to the Poconos, set the house on fire to kill them all in one swipe, then make it out to be a freak accident. An easy, quick, and foolproof plan.

Darting around the corner of the kitchen, I heard them step inside. _Time to get into character._ I had to act like Courtney at first, then when we were close enough, reveal that I was Ali. I even had a heartbreaking story to go along with it.

I slowly stepped around the corner, smiling at the simple brilliance of my plan. Again, they looked as though they had seen a ghost. "I promise I won't bite." I said slowly, not promising anything about murdering. "I wanted a minute alone with you before things got too crazy." Damn, I was good at this!

They fidgeted, not speaking. Sighing inwardly, I guessed that I was going to have to keep up the conversation by myself. "You guys were my sister's best friends, right? Spencer, Emily, Hannah, Aria?" Always best to check, I thought to myself.

"Yeah," Spencer said finally, her voice shaky. I remembered the first time I really noticed them—when Courtney was posing as me, talking to them in the backyard as a cover. That's probably why she chose them—because they were the only ones that she had talked to. For her, it was the start of a new life. For me, it was the beginning of the end.

"Ali told me about you." It was strange to refer to myself in third person. "But she never told you about me, did she?" It would have been just like Courtney to brag to her besties about how she was the better sister, but I supposed that she wouldn't want to take the chance.

"No," Emily managed to choke out. "Not once."

"Then I guess this is pretty bizarre." I said breezily.

"So, where were you? At a hospital or something?"

I tried not to roll my eyes. Aria had always been nosy. Casting around for something to say, I noticed how much Spencer looked like me. I was the outcome of my slutty mom getting knocked up from her dad, so we were half-sisters. _The second sibling I'll have to kill._

"Kind of. I was at this place called the Radley. And then, after it became a hotel or whatever, I was moved to a place called the Preserve at Addison-Stevens." I was pretty sure that they knew those places were mental hospitals, but it didn't matter. They would know I wasn't crazy when I told them who I really was.

"So…it was for…mental issues?" Aria asked.

God, why was she _so_ irritating? Losing my temper, I snapped at her, "Those places aren't just for mental patients!" Now why did I say that? I _was_ there—although wrongfully—for mental issues.

It was worth it, though. Aria blushed a deep crimson, stuttering out an apology. I shrugged in response, looking away.

Finally, I decided to make something clear for them. "Anyway, I'm sorry I ran away from you the night of the fire. That was probably really…confusing."

"Omigod, that was you!" Hannah exclaimed, her mouth open.

_I just said that, didn't I?_ I wanted to snap. Instead, I let the geniuses figure out that yes, it was me.

"What were you doing there?" Emily asked, her eyes wide.

I decided that it was time for a good sob story. "I got a note from Billy, saying that there was something in the woods I needed to see. I wasn't supposed to leave the house, but it said that it would help solve Ali's murder. When I reached the woods, the fire started. I thought I was going to die…but then Aria saved me. Thank you, by the way." It was so convenient that the police had taken the bait about Billy. Then again, he did have a rough background.

The night in the woods hadn't gone as I planned, though. When I realized that they weren't going to die, I decided to make them question their sanity by letting them see a ghost: me.

"How did you get out of there so quickly?" Emily pressed. I think she just wanted to hear my voice again. How very_ cute._

I explained about Wilden getting me out. "You shouldn't trust him!" Emily cried.

I laughed. She was so overprotective. "Settle down, Killer." The nickname slipped from my tongue before I could stop it. I had read it in Courtney's diary. Oh well, it could probably help me convince them that I was Ali, anyway.

The girls looked confused, but before they could say anything, my mother came walking down the hall, smiling her big, fake smile with her white teeth. She glanced at the four girls long enough to thank them for coming, then turned her full attention to me. After all, I was what kept her in the spotlight. "I'm sorry, honey," she simpered, not sounding sorry at all. "But there's someone here from MSNBC who has a couple of questions. He's come all the way from New York…"

I rolled my eyes. "Okay…" All for the best—I was getting bored of talking to them anyways.

My mom said that the police wanted to speak to me too, then began to primp me like I was a mannequin. I wrenched away from her, mumbling something about not wanting to talk. Turning back to the girls, I smiled and told them to come by anytime. "Oh! And I almost forgot. I'm going to Rosewood Day! See you at school tomorrow." I winked, then flounced out the door.


	2. Reeling her in

**Hey, everybody! I really like this story so far, and I hope other people do to, but no one has to review if they don't want to. I would really appreciate it though :)**

The interview with the media and police went by fairly quickly. In each one, I got teary eyed and talked about what a brave, wonderful girl my sister had been. The reporters absolutely drooled over my every word, lapping up my story like starving dogs. Wilden, however, didn't seem to buy it as easily. He glared at me with suspicious eyes, but after I cried and whined for a while, he seemed to believe me.

Now I was in the Rosewood Day parking lot, getting ready for my first day of school since sixth grade. My insides boiled with jealousy at the sight of friends gossiping and couples kissing. These ungrateful bastards had had the middle and high school experience that I had never gotten. _All thanks to her…_

I took a few deep breaths. That was why I had to do this. For revenge.

Suddenly, reporters swarmed around the sides of the school. "There she is!" one cried. Rolling my eyes, I quickly walked up the steps. I did _not_ have time for this right now.

I slowly stepped through the heavy doors and into the Rosewood Day hallway, my blazer and pleated skirt ironed perfectly, my Tory Burch heels clicking against the polished floors. Instantly, heads turned my way and jaws dropped. Haughtily tossing my hair behind my shoulder, I proceeded down the hallway, enjoying how people stopped in midsentence to look at me. A few football boys turned my way and whistled. "She's as hot as her sister!" a burly quarterback whispered. _Oh, if only they knew…_

Suddenly, three girls appeared in front of me. The leader had straight, shiny chestnut hair, clear skin, a thin frame, and wonderful posture. Her haughty expression instantly told me "popular girl." And standing on either side of her, like the groupies they always had been, were…

_Naomi! Riley!_ I wanted to scream. They looked as flawless as ever. They were the _coolest_ girls in school, and we would still be besties if Courtney hadn't confined me to that hell of a mental hospital. She deserved to die three times over.

"Hey!" the brunette said brightly. Her tone clearly indicated that I was her new pet project. "You're Courtney, right?" I nodded, trying not to wince at my new name. Ali was _such_ a better one. "I'm Kate Randall, soon to be Marin, and this is Naomi and Riley. We know you're new here, so we wondered if you wanted us to show you around?"

Kate _Marin_? I had heard that Hannah had a new "evil" stepsister. These girls clearly ruled the school, so it would be a great way to regain my popularity quickly. Plus, I could mess with Hannah _and_ catch up with old friends (even if they didn't know it) all in one!

"Sure!" I chirped, slinging my cranberry-colored tote bag over my shoulder. As if I didn't know where every single classroom was. "Lead the way!"

A few minutes later, we were sitting in Steam. For some reason, all three of them had gotten herbal tea. Who drank that? God, they had so much to learn. I stuck with the ever-fashionable latte.

On the "tour" around school, Kate had completely forgotten about the buildings and given me the dirt on everyone in school, while Naomi and Riley fawned over my whole appearance, just like old times. I had been shocked when I heard that Noel Kahn was dating Aria. He was _so _out of her league. I had smiled to myself, thinking of how it would be a fun little on-the-side project to break them up.

Suddenly, an auburn-haired girl appeared in the entryway to Steam. Hannah. She strode over to sit with us, clearly desperate for popular company. _Oh, Hannah._ She had always been such a wannabe.

Just as she was about to sit down, though, Naomi put her bag down on the empty seat. Riley followed, and Kate set hers down on top. I hesitated. As much as I enjoyed torturing Hannah, I believed that she had gotten the message already, and she needed to think that I liked her.

Just as I decided not to, Naomi addressed Hannah. "Sorry, Psycho. That seat's taken." The tone of her voice could have turned water into ice.

Ah, so the word had leaked out about the little trip I sent Hannah on to the Preserve? Everything was falling nicely into place. I shifted into a comfortable position in my seat, pleased with myself and thinking that I deserved to watch a little bitch drama.

"I'm not psycho." Hannah tried to look tough, but her eyes were nervous.

"If you're not psycho, then why did I hear you screaming in your sleep last night?" Kate asked in a fake innocent voice. I laughed into my hand. It was nice to know that I was giving her nightmares.

"Why don't you go sit with Skidz?" Riley suggested, while the other girls tittered. "He's been waiting for you!"

I glanced over at Mike Montgomery, slumped in a corner. Yes! That had been my fabulous, untraceable work, too. I broke into his locker while he was at lacrosse practice, planted some underwear that I had rubbed dirt on, and took a picture. Then I got Mason Byers' number from Mike's phone in his locker and texted him the incriminating photo. My scheming abilities were flawless.

Mike's face lit up when Hannah looked over. He motioned for her to come sit down, but she didn't move. I would have almost felt sorry for him, except for the fact that he was idiotic enough to date Hannah.

Meanwhile, Hannah was desperately looking back and forth. I could almost hear the gears in her brain turning furiously: _love or popularity…_

Finally, she turned haughtily to Mike. "Sorry, Skidz. I shouldn't get too close. Germs and all."

Mike looked horrified. Well, when you roll the dice, you pay the price. Hannah turned around, as if she actually thought that doing that would make her loser self popular.

Naomi stood up, barely glancing at Hannah. "Sorry, Han, you may be Skidz-free, but you're still a freak." She tossed her hair (I had taught her to do that), then flounced out the door, Riley and Kate trotting along behind her.

I lagged behind, deciding it was time to lay on the flattery. Trouble was, I couldn't find anything to compliment. Those shoes did NOT go with her uniform at all! "Your hair looks really pretty like that," I finally lied.

Hannah looked down quickly, combing her hands through her hair. She was so insecure, it was ridiculous. "Uh, thanks."

I worked hard to refrain from rolling my eyes. "You're welcome," I said finally, walking away quickly. Perhaps this wouldn't be hard after all.


	3. My breakup project

First and second period went by in a flash. People staring, boys looking at me like lovesick puppies, even a creepy teacher staring down my shirt. Well, who could blame them? I was Ali (even though everyone referred to me as Courtney) and I was fabulous.

I approached the door of the study hall room. Mrs. Ives glanced up at me, her face showing shock for a second, then quickly smoothing it over. I could almost hear her thinking: _Calm down. It's not Alison. _

"Welcome, Courtney," she said. At the mention of my name, people at desks stopped talking and craned their necks to get a good look at me.

It was ridiculous. I already knew all of these people! I had introduced Imogen Smith to the color of lipstick that she was wearing now. I teased Phi Templeton about her dorky Smartphone, and now she was using a Blackberry to take my picture. Mason Byers was staring at my lips like he wanted to kiss me, but I had _been_ his first kiss!

Then I noticed Aria and Noel, and my face lit up. I would _love_ to start my little break-up project now. Didn't Noel realize he deserved better?

"Hi! It's nice to see a friendly face." I said, almost laughing. Aria's expression was anything but friendly. She was looking at me like I was an insect that needed squashing. She might be the most difficult to become friends with—after all, at the press conference, she had looked more reluctant to talk to me than the others.

Aria stammered out a hello. I slid into the seat next to hers and pulled out my spiral-bound notebook. Glancing over, I saw Aria staring at my bubbly handwriting. _Familiar much?_ I wanted to ask.

Noel twisted around in his seat, looking me up and down. "I'm Noel. Is this your first day?" His smile hadn't changed.

I gave him a wide grin. "Uh-huh. This place is crazy. I've never been to a school where so many classrooms are in barns!" It was surprising how easy it was to lie about never going to Rosewood Day, when I knew everything about it. I knew the in-between-class music. I knew that they still served hamburgers on Wednesdays. And I knew that in sixth grade, I had stuck a piece of gum under the desk that Aria was sitting at right now.

Noel nodded excitedly. "Yeah, this place used to be a farm back in the day. At least the livestock aren't still here!"

I laughed, because Noel still had the same bad sense of humor. I slowly angled my body towards him, letting Aria know that I was competition. I thought that Noel would get uncomfortable, but he just glanced at Aria as if to say, "She's cool!"

Aria's eyes narrowed. I had read in Courtney's diary that when she told Noel that Aria liked him, he said that he liked her instead. They had actually gone on a couple dates. I wondered if Aria was still sensitive about that. Of course, I hated everything about my sister and didn't regret the murder in the least, but I had to admit, she could be a pretty good bitch sometimes.

Noel and I continued to talk. He was still just the same: some sort of weird but attractive clash of gentleman and man-whore.

We continued to talk, and Aria looked as though she was about to throw up. I waited for her to cut in, but she just looked as though she hoped we would stop. _Hopeless little bitch. _

Finally, she interrupted. "Um, Noel, I had some thoughts about the Valentine's Day dance. Were you thinking about wearing a tux or a suit?" She kept her eyes on me the whole time as Noel mumbled something about a suit.

I almost burst out laughing. _That_ was how she wanted to get the message across? That was pathetic!

Aching to embarrass her, I pointed at a ball of yarn and knitting needles. "Hey! You still do that?" Once again, Courtney's diary had provided me with helpful, embarrassing information. "My sister told me you knit. She even showed me a mohair bra you made for her!"

Just as I had wanted, Aria flushed. "Oh," she said shakily. She looked at me warily like I was a lion getting ready to pounce. She was clearly wondering what _else_ I knew about her.

Aria's cell phone beeped. A CNN news alert popped up. It read, "BILLY FORD MIGHT HAVE ALIBI."

My eyes widened and my face contorted with anger. _What?_ No! I had even put pictures on his computer! They had to believe he was guilty.

Aria was staring at me. I realized that I must look deranged. I quickly made my face go blank, but she still stared.

_Girl, if you think that was scary, you haven't seen ANYTHING yet._


	4. Falling all the way

**Hey, everyone! Thank you for the reviews. I would love to hear more about what everyone thinks, as well as suggestions. If I don't get more reviews, I might be too sad to continue writing :( It only takes about a minute to review! Anyway, I really enjoy writing this story, and I hope everyone likes reading it, too. :)**

I walked into the girls' locker room. Already, the whispers about me were dying down a little, being replaced by looks of jealousy that I had missed so much. I was finally back to the normal routine—people either loved me or wished they were me. This was the way it was supposed to be.

I saw a flash of reddish hair. _Aha._ Slowly, I walked over to Emily's locker and cleared my throat. She jumped like I had shocked her. "Oh!" she cried.

"Hi." I managed to refrain from smirking. "I didn't know we were supposed to bring shorts and stuff."

Of course I knew that we were supposed to, but I didn't because I knew that sweet Emily would give me the clothes off her back if necessary.

"Yeah." She lifted hers up to show me. _Oh, look at me, I'm so prepared!_ I mocked in my head. "Mr. Draznowsky didn't tell you that?"

No, he had been a little too busy trying to look down my shirt. "He just gave me this locker number and combination. I guess he assumed I knew what to do." I said, trying for the sympathetic approach.

Sure enough, it worked. Emily scrambled through her locker, saying, "Uh, I have an extra pair of shorts and a T-shirt. This shirt isn't technically for gym class, but I think they'll let you slide for today."

What, she couldn't have had the right T-shirt? I shouldn't have to make do with this, but whatever. "Oh my God, thank you!" I exclaimed sweetly, examining the shirt. "You rock the block?" What kind of motto was that?

"My swim coach gave it to me for making captain this year." Emily explained, a little proudly.

Why would someone pick _her_ for captain? She was too meek to give instructions. Well, her shoulders were broad enough to make a path through the ocean, let alone a swimming pool, so I guess it made sense.

"Captain? Impressive."

Emily shrugged modestly.

We joked around for a while. Emily laughed at everything I said, and tried to make a few lame jokes, which I forced a laugh at. Finally, I mentioned something about the Time Capsule game. It was what had made them come to my backyard that day, which had enabled Courtney to step out the door, into her new life and leave me to fall back into her wrecked one.

Emily looked uncomfortable at the mention of it. "It's just a stupid game." She muttered.

My iPhone beeped. It was an email that said, _Hey, Courtney! I completely understand how rough this whole thing has been for you, and I, as well as the rest of the CNN newscast, are willing and prepared to listen. Call us up if you want to talk! –Ashlee, CNN reporter_

Ugh. As much as I enjoyed all the attention, this was getting in the way of my plans. They should at least pay me, perhaps with tickets to the Diane Von Furstenberg fashion show this weekend…and then a wonderful idea came to me, an idea about how to mess Hanna's life up a little more.

I told Emily that it was CNN, but that I'd rather talk to her. I asked if they were with my sister the night that I killed her, although I substituted Billy's name for mine.

"It's so scary. To think that he killed Jenna Cavanaugh and Ian. And he sent you all those awful notes." Oh, it was so _fun_ to pin my murders and A notes on someone else!

"Wait a minute." Emily said suddenly. "Billy sent me a picture of Ali, Jenna, and a blond girl. I thought it was Naomi Zeigler—but it was you, wasn't it?"

I remembered sending that to her. I liked to watch them squirm to connect the puzzle when they were too dim-witted to even pick up the pieces. "Probably. I met Jenna during my one visit here. She was the only person in Rosewood who knew about me." _Which is why I had to kill her,_ I finished the sentence in my head.

I was brought out of my reverie by the stupid gym teacher banging on the door. Apologizing for being a downer, I asked if we could hang out after school tomorrow. Emily nearly fell over herself inviting me over. Jeez, was she really _that_ in love with me already?

I decided that, just for my entertainment, I would tease her a little bit more. While she was tying her shoelace, I slowly pulled off my shirt and cleared my throat. Emily looked up and gasped.

Her eyes traveled down to my bra. My boobs, thank God, were bigger than Courtney's, and Emily clearly noticed. I arched my eyebrow and smiled coyly. Emily looked as though she was about to melt. It disgusted me, but at the same time, made me want to laugh.

Slowly, I winked. She looked speechless. Quickly, I pulled a shirt on and flounced out the door.

Emily had fallen for me, hook, line, and sinker.


	5. The affair that ruined all

_Done_! I thought. It was after school, and I was home alone. Who knew where my parents were; they never spent any time with me, but I didn't care. I had just finished Photoshopping some fake tickets to the Diane Von Furstenberg show. I would send it to Hanna the next time she was near Kate, Naomi, and Riley.

I giggled to myself. It was so _perfect_. I had the perfect way to mess with each of them, without them realizing it.

For Hanna, I would send her tickets to a DVF show, making her popular then crushing her dreams. For Aria, I would break her and her precious boyfriend up. For Emily, I would have her believe that there was actually a chance that she would get _me_. And for Spencer…well, I wasn't sure what to do for Spencer.

Speaking of her, however, I needed to get her snoopy sister to mind her own business. I didn't like the look Melissa had given me at the press conference, and I could have sworn that I saw her car following mine once or twice. She needed to learn that _no one_ messed with me.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I quickly saved the file and shut my computer, then uncrossed my legs and walked over to the window. _Speak of the devil!_ Spencer was standing at the door, looking unsure as to whether she should be here or not.

I ran down the stairs. This was just too simple. She was the only one that I hadn't seen at school today, and here she was. Could this get any easier?

I flung the door open. There she was, with her preppy clothing and I'm-so-smart expression. When she saw me, her eyes widened and she gasped.

"What?" I snapped. She was looking at me as though there was something wrong with me. Spencer didn't answer. I quickly changed the subject. "So, what's up?" I asked casually, leaning against the doorframe.

Spencer looked nervous, but she said, "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Cool." Oh, how I wished I could kill her now and get it over with. But I needed to get them all in one swipe and make it look like an accident.

Spencer stared at every photo as we walked down the hall. God, why didn't they mind their own business?

She spent a long time at one that had been taken right before Courtney died. It was of my _perfect_ family, standing on the doorstep to their perfect house in their perfect neighborhood with their perfect lives. I had lurked in the background, watched that picture be taken. They had grinned like nothing in the world could happen to them. Uncaring about the lone sister, the one that should have been smiling in that photo.

I cleared my throat, willing the anger to disappear from my eyes. "Coming?"

Spencer jerked away from the photo, looking guilty. She quickly followed me up the stairs. We walked down the long hallway, maneuvering around boxes. Most of them were labeled Ali, but they weren't my possessions. They were the fake Ali's. Some of them had field hockey things. I hated field hockey—it was dirty and rough. I had been so excited to try out for cheerleading in seventh grade, but I had never gotten the chance.

Finally, we got to my room. "Here we are." My mom had hesitated when I said I wanted to use "Alison's" stuff, but eventually she let me. I didn't want to have to buy new things when I had spent so long furnishing my room right before sixth grade started, only to be ripped away from it all.

I sat down on my bed. "What's on your mind?" She didn't answer. I was pretty sure that I knew why she was here. "Let me guess. You want to talk about the affair. Your dad. My mom." I shrugged, as if it hadn't given my hours of grief when I found out.

Spencer gasped. "You know?"

"I've always known."

"But…how?"

I had discovered it the night that I killed my sister.

_I walked back into the house, ready to reclaim my old life. I felt no guilt—she deserved what she got. I heard voices coming from the living room. Walking towards it, I started to call out my parents names, ready with a story as to why the sleepover had abruptly ended. _

_When I got to the living room, my voice stuck in my throat. Spencer's dad. My mom._

_Kissing._

_Rage took me over. I ran up to my room, knocking pictures off the walls on the way._

If I had stayed in the living room, I probably could have convinced them I was Ali. I could have pretended to burst into tears, saying that I only came for a glass of water. I could have run back outside and pretended to tell everyone to go home. Then I could have run back inside, up to my room, and gotten my old life back.

Instead, I said nothing. My mother found me in my room in the morning, and thought that I was Courtney. She took my destroyed room as a sign of insanity instead of grief, and sent me back to the Preserve.

I made myself come back to the present. "Ali found out," I invented wildly. "And then she told me on one of her visits."

Spencer looked as though I had slapped her. "Ali knew?"

"And she never told you, right?" Great, now I was making myself sound bad. I just really wanted Spencer to feel pain at the moment.

Spencer looked as though she was about to cry. As if hastily grabbing for a subject change, she asked, "Do Jason and your dad know?"

"I'm not sure." I actually wasn't. "No one's ever said anything. But if my sister knew, my brother probably does, too. And my parents pretty much hate each other—which means my dad is probably clued in. I swear they only stayed together because Ali went missing. I'll bet you that a year from now they divorce." I wished that my parents _would_ get a divorce: that way, I'd only have to put up with one of them.

Spencer told me that her dad had left because her mom found out. _Oh, boo hoo._ She didn't know what pain really was. "I'm sorry," I lied.

"Everyone was keeping things from me," Spencer whined. "I have an older sister, Melissa. You may have seen her at the press conference. She was talking to your brother." Ah, now we were getting somewhere! I needed to find out how much Melissa knew. I nodded sympathetically to get Spencer to keep talking. "Melissa told me she's known that Ali had a twin since high school. She never bothered to mention it to me. I'm sure she loved knowing something I didn't. Some sister, huh?"

I wanted to scoff at her. Did she really think that _that_ was a bad sister? "She sounds really competitive and insecure." This was so easy. "That's how Ali was with me, too. She always wanted the limelight. She hated if I was better at anything. I know she was pretty competitive with you, too."

I said that because I wanted to see, once I told her that I was Ali, how easy it would be to get back on her good side. Well, judging by the fact that Spencer started crying like a baby, it would be pretty damn hard.

I hugged her, rolling my eyes behind her back, and murmured some crap about how we had each other now. Suddenly, I had an idea. "Hey! Wanna go dancing tomorrow?" It would be the perfect time to announce that I was Ali—I could tell Emily tomorrow, too.

Spencer looked hesitant. "Well…"

I jumped up and started singing and dancing around. "C'mon, Spencer! Say you'll go dancing with me!"

Spencer laughed. "Okay!"And she started singing with me, marring my beautiful voice with her sour one.

This was so easy. They were practically eating out of my hand.


	6. Photoshopping her life

Spencer left around 5:00. A few minutes later, I got a call from Kate. "Hello?"

"Hey, Courtney!" Kate squealed. "I was just wondering, do you want to come over? Naomi and Riley are here, too."

I sighed. I didn't have time for these bitches. Yes, it had been fun being queens of the school hierarchy. I had already been asked out four times today (turning down all of them), and one wannabe designer had asked me to be her model, but I had better things to do.

I was about to tell her that it had been a rough day and I had to do an interview tonight, but then I realized: Kate would be in the same house as Hanna. I could send the faux DVF tickets then. "Sure!" I said perkily. "I'll be right over." Then, realizing that I probably shouldn't know where her house was, I added, "Oh, could you give me directions?"

I got to their house a little later, and walked up to Kate's room. They were completely drunk, and in the middle of writing love letters to their crushes. When they had finished that and were sloppily giving each other makeovers, I told them I was going to the bathroom, while actually stealing their letters, making copies of them, and returning the original ones. I wasn't sure what good it would do, but if I needed to humiliate them, I was prepared.

Right after we finished eating chicken salad, no dressing, for dinner, we heard the sound of Hanna's car pulling up. The three girls stiffened. I saw a shadow pass in front of Kate's closed bedroom door, and knew that Hanna was listening.

"I think I saw her car pull into the driveway!" Naomi was whispering.

Riley's eyes widened. "We should hide!"

Kate rolled her eyes, as if she was too cool to do such childish things as hide. "She'd better not try to hang out with us. Right, Courtney?"

Hannah was still listening, and she needed to think that I liked her, so I made my voice sound confused. "Um…"

The shadow passed, and I heard Hanna's footsteps get farther away. "Yeah, definitely!" I said confidently once I was sure she was no longer listening.

Pulling out my phone, I clicked on "new email" and attached the DVF tickets. When Kate asked what I was doing, I replied, "Just checking my Facebook." Kate had insisted on making me a Facebook during free period, and I already had 10,200 friends, more than Kate, Naomi, and Riley had together.

I typed into the email, "Hey, Han. I've been offered six tickets to the Diane von Furstenberg fashion show in NYC Thursday, but I obviously can't use them. Would you like to go instead? I've attached them via PDF." Kate had told me that Hanna's mom was in Singapore for a rich job. I knew that rich jobs often got people tickets to good shows, and it would make sense, since she was in Singapore, that she would give the tickets to Hanna.

Hitting send, I sat back and waited. Sure enough, a few minutes later, there was a pounding on Kate's door. "What do _you_ want, Psycho?" Riley sneered.

Hanna smiled hugely. "Would you mind keeping it down? I need to make a phone call about some fashion week tickets I got from my mom, and I can hear your voices all the way down the hall."

Kate squealed, "What?" It was perfect timing, because I couldn't hold in a small snigger. Hanna thought she was being so coy. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she couldn't get into the show.

"Fashion week?" Naomi was saying. "Right."

"Just turn the music down for a few," Hanna simpered. "I don't want Diane von Furstenberg's people to think I'm some silly high school girl. Thanks much!"

As she turned to go, Kate grabbed her arm. "Wait, _the_ Diane von Furstenberg?"

Riley spoke up, basically calling Hanna a nobody. I chuckled to myself. If people were that rude to me, I wouldn't let them come to a show, but Hanna was so desperate for friends that she didn't even care.

Hanna shoved the PDF in Kate's face and they all crowded around the screen. They were making _such_ a big deal about this. I could probably get _real_ tickets if I asked nicely.

All of the girls turned to me, their eyes asking what I thought about it. Wow, it had only been a day and I was already the leader of this group. How desperate could they get? "Sweet!" I said nonchalantly.

Kate, Naomi, and Riley practically kissed Hannah's feet, and Hanna finally said yes. I rolled my eyes. This was _so_ high school.

Hanna left the room, and suddenly a thought occurred to me. I heard she met Iris at the Preserve. What had Iris told her about me?

"I'll be right back," I told the girls. They were so busy planning what to wear for the show that they barely looked up.

I walked up to the bathroom door just as Hanna stepped out of it. She jumped. "Uh, hi?"

"Hey," I said softly. Hanna looked a little freaked out. "Um, I heard you knew Iris."

Her eyes grew wide. "Uh, yeah."

I touched Hanna's arm, as if I actually cared. "I'm so sorry. She was out of her mind. I'm glad you got away from her, too."

Before she could respond, I slid back into the shadows, feeling calm. Everything was falling into place.


	7. Making her nervous

**I've added about 3 chapters today, because this story is really fun to write. I've gotten almost no reviews, but the important thing is that people are enjoying this. However, I don't know if people are enjoying this until they review. So, if you read this, please review to let me know that I have followers! I don't care if your review is good or bad. Just let me know what you think. Thanks :)**

Together, Noel and I stepped out of the YMCA and into the sunshine.

It was Wednesday after school. When I got home the night before, my mother had rushed at me and gave me a big bear hug. "Courtney, we didn't know where you were! You didn't leave a note or anything. We were about to call the police!"

I untangled myself from my mother's arms, giving her a large, fake smile. "Sorry, Mom. I was with some friends from school."

"Who?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

I bit back my retort of "mind your own business," instead saying, "Just these girls named Naomi Zeigler, Riley Wolfe, Kate Randall, and Hannah Marin."

My mother's eyes widened. "But three of those were…"

"I know three of them were Ali's friends!" I snapped. "Who said I can't talk to them, too?"

"Courtney—" my mother started to say, but before she could finish, I ran up the steps, shouting that I already had dinner.

I had skipped breakfast this morning, too, going immediately to school. It was pretty much the same as before: hanging with Kate and her posse, getting asked out by boys, doing a strip tease for Emily. However, in study hall, Noel had asked me to go to his support group with him before Aria got to class. I knew that Aria would somehow find out, so I smiled and said that I would love to.

The support group had been half an hour of _boring_. The instructor had been such a hippie, talking about letting the river of acceptance wash away our sorrows and crap like that. When Noel told me that Aria was driving him home, I pretended to get a call from my mom, saying that she would be really late. Noel immediately said that Aria would love to drive me.

Now Noel and I were walking down the stone steps. "There's Aria's car." Noel pointed and walked over. I followed, grinning to myself.

Aria looked at me with horror. I could practically hear her praying to God that I wasn't going to ride with them.

"Hey," Noel greeted Aria. "You wouldn't mind driving Courtney home, too, would you? Her mom's supposed to pick her up, but she called and said she was going to be really late."

I waved hopefully at Aria. She was clearly thinking hard, but finally she sighed. "Fine!"

Noel, like the gentleman that he was, let me have the front seat. Why on _Earth_ was he settling for Aria? He could get girls ten times better than her—like me, for instance.

Aria was trying to catch his eye in the mirror, but he stubbornly looked away every time. The silence in the car stretched, but I didn't mind—it just made it more awkward for Aria. Finally, she said a little accusingly, "So, you're both in the sibling support group, huh?"

Noel sprang to my defense. "I told Courtney she should check it out. I said it helped me."

Aria gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her fingers turned white. "I see."

Noel leaned towards me. "Do you like it, Courtney? I think the counselor is really cool and down-to-earth."

Noel actually _liked_ that guy? "A little too down-to-earth," I said, forcing a laugh. I did a rude imitation of the guy, then accused Noel playfully of being about to drop me.

Aria took the hint. "You guys were partners?" she asked, her voice quavering.

"Noel saved me from being partners with a randy old man with hair growing out of his ears." I gave Noel a winning smile. The old guy had leered creepily at me, then started to walk towards me. Noel quickly intervened, grabbing my arm and asking if I would be his partner.

"How very _chivalrous _of you, Noel," Aria growled. Noel fell silent. I leaned back and enjoyed the awkwardness.

Finally, Noel told Aria to drop him off first. When we pulled up to his house, I pretended to gape at how big it was. Please, when I made my millions, my house would be twice as big as this.

When we pulled out of Noel's driveway, I wondered if Aria would start a conversation. However, the only thing she did was ask if the bypass was the quickest way to Yarmouth.

Deciding that I would have to make her feel sorry for me in order to get her talking, I said, "I know what you're thinking. What everyone's thinking."

Sure enough, Aria looked at me for the first time, cocking her head. "Um?"

"Everyone is wondering how I coped, living so far away from my family for so long. They want to know how I can forgive my family for keeping me out of the loop all those years."

"Uh," Aria stammered. Could she not form coherent words for once?

Since that didn't seem to be getting to her, I continued. "But that's not my biggest problem. What's worse is that my parents are basically living this lie, pretending their issues don't exist. Did you know my mom had an affair?"

I had expected this to shock Aria, but instead she said, "You know about that?"

My blood boiled under my skin. So Spencer had decided to clue everyone in about it, huh? "Yeah." I kept my voice controlled. "Ali and I both knew for years. And what's more, my dad isn't even my dad. Surprise!" My voice was heavy with anger. I hoped Aria took it as sadness.

"Huh." Wow. I tell her all that, and all she says is huh? I put my head down so she wouldn't see how irritated I was. Then she added something. "A lot of parents are messed up."

I narrowed my eyes. I didn't really want her venting to me about her sad little life. Luckily, we pulled up to my house at that moment. "Thanks again for the ride."

I looked back and saw Aria staring at something in the woods across the street. Looking, I gaped in shock. _Melissa._


	8. The truth! Well, almost

**Thanks for the reviews! So, I really like the flashbacks that happen in this chapter, and I hope everyone else does too!**

I pulled into Emily's driveway. After Aria dropped me off from the support group, I had gotten in my car and drove to Emily's house, getting there at 4:45, just when I said I would.

I was determined not to think about Melissa—at least, not until I had some time to plot what to do about that bitch.

As I got out of the car and walked up the driveway, snow crunching under my feet, I noticed that the only other car in the driveway was Emily's—her parents weren't home. _Perfect_. Now I could tell Emily that I was Ali and explain my carefully prepared story without fear of anyone overhearing.

I rang the doorbell and listened to the deep, chiming sound echo throughout the house. A few seconds later, the door was flung open. Emily stood in front of me, gloss smeared on her lips and her hair messily curled. It was pathetic how hard she tried.

"Hey!" I squealed, opening my arms for a hug. To my surprise, Emily backed up. I let my arms drop just as Emily decided that she _would_ hug me.

She laughed nervously, telling me to come inside. "Should we go to your room?" I suggested, my voice low and seductive.

"Sure!" she said cheerfully, clearly not picking up my signals.

I ran up the stairs to hide my annoyance. She was so ignorant.

When I stopped at her room, she looked shocked. "How did you know where my room was?"

Um, clearly she forgot that there was a huge sign on her door that said EMILY. Great, now I was having to flirt with someone with memory loss. "Because it says so on your door."

We entered her room. _Oh. My. God._ She had an entire collage of pictures of Courtney on her dresser! Jeez, this was going a little farther than obsessed. "Wow."

Emily blushed. "That stuff is so old. I haven't gone through it in a long time."

_Nice cover-up._ "No, I like it. It looks like you guys had a lot of fun." _Yes, I'm so glad Courtney and the other bitches that ruined my life had a great time while I was stuck at a mental hospital where she should have been._

"Yeah," Emily responded, leaving it at that.

Taking off my Frye boots, I pointed to a clear jar on her nightstand. "What's that?"

Emily held the jar lovingly. I had a feeling that it was connected to Courtney. "Dandelion seeds."

"What for?"

Emily flushed. "We all tried to smoke them once, to see if we'd hallucinate. It was stupid."

Yes, it sounded pretty stupid. My sister was _such_ a loser. She was only popular because I had built up my rep so much that by the time she took over, people would respect anything that I did. "Did it work?"

Emily explained that they had wanted it to work, so they pretended it did. She told me all this weird stuff that they had done.

"What did Ali do?" I asked, needing to know all the dumb-ass stuff that my insane sister did.

Emily looked self-conscious. "Ali…well, Ali made up this dance."

"Do you remember it?"

"It was a long time ago." She avoided the question.

I poked her leg, trying to accidentally-on-purpose scratch her with my nails. "You _do_ remember it, don't you?" She slowly nodded.

"Show it to me!" I demanded.

"No!" she whined.

"_Please?"_ I begged, grabbing her hands. Emily stared at our entwined fingers for a long moment, then stood up and did the most ridiculous dance that I had ever seen.

"That's all I can remember," she said, clearly lying. Suddenly, she tripped and fell straight at me. I grabbed her waist and let my hands linger there, trying not to wrinkle my nose.

"Sorry," she muttered, shooting away.

She determinedly avoided my eyes, staring at the clock instead. "Oh! It's four fifty six. Four-five-six. Make a wish."

I giggled at the stupidity of that. "I thought that was only for eleven eleven.

"I make up my own rules," she said, meeting my eyes.

"It seems that way," I said softly, hoping I was coming across as flirting. "Tell you what. I'll make a wish if you do."

Emily slowly shut her eyes and lay down. It was time to make my move. Grimacing at what I was about to do, I leaned forward.

She slowly opened her eyes. Her pupils dilated. Ever so gently, I pressed my mouth to hers.

_Ugh._ This was disgusting. I was anything but a lesbian. I kissed her just long enough for her to be satisfied, then pulled away.

"Well, I got my wish." I chose my words carefully. "I always hoped I'd get to do that again."

Emily opened her mouth, then closed it. "Wait. _Again_?"

I hoped this was the right time to do this. "Okay. Don't freak out. But Em…it's me. Ali."

Emily scrambled away from me. "I'm sorry, what?"

I started to explain my story, and my thoughts traveled far back in time, to when it all began.

"_Let's go swimming, Ali!" Courtney exclaimed._

"_Okay," I replied, smiling at her._

_We jumped into our pool, splashing water over the sides. Courtney started dunking me, and I giggled. But then she got rougher, barely letting me breath. I felt scared tears come to my eyes. "Court, what are you doing?"_

_Her blue eyes were demonic. "You don't deserve to be you. I do."_

_I screamed, managing to push her away. She came after me, grabbing my head and forcing me under water again. All the air left my lungs, and I felt dizzy._

_Suddenly, my parents came outside. "Oh, my God!" my mother screamed. My father jumped into the pool, fully clothed, and wrenched her away from me._

_Courtney was locked in her room for days, then sent off to a mental asylum. We moved immediately, and my parents made Jason and I promise to never speak of Courtney. "I promise," I said, tears spilling down my rosy cheeks._

Then I thought of another day, an even worse one.

_I approached Courtney in the kitchen. "Give me my ring back, psycho!" I screeched at her._

"_No!" she yelled. _

_I screamed at her, but she just mocked me. Suddenly, a movement caught our eye. Four girls were talking in the middle of our yard. I squinted. They were some dorks from my school, but what were they doing here?_

_Courtney looked at them, then back at me. Her mouth turned up in a grin. Suddenly, she walked out the door and into the backyard. I gaped at her. Why was she talking to them?_

_My mother came into the kitchen. "Time to go, Courtney."_

_I stared at her. "Wait, what?"_

_She looked sadly at me. "Didn't you hear me? Time to go."_

_Poking her head into the backyard, she called, "Ali, we're leaving!" Courtney didn't turn around. _

_My mom grabbed my arm and steered me toward the car. "No, Mom, I'm Ali! I'm Ali!" I screamed._

_She glared at me. "That is enough."_

_Tears poured down my face. I screamed at her, but she wouldn't believe me. I got hauled away to the Preserve._

_Day after day, I waited for them to come and get me, to beg me to forgive them for their huge mistake. But it never happened. I tried to convince them it was me, but they wouldn't listen, and eventually they stopped visiting._

I was flung back to the present by Emily throwing her arms around me. "Of course I believe it's you. I'm so glad you came back."

_I'm glad I came back too. And I'm glad that you're going to pay._


	9. Dancing in tears

**Hey everyone! I am SO sorry that it has taken me this long to update, but I've been really busy with school and volleyball. For some reason, this was kind of a hard chapter to write, but I hope everyone likes it! Review, please! :)**

Spencer, Emily, and I approached the bouncer at a popular club called Paparazzi.

Emily had decided to invite herself along to go clubbing with us. It had annoyed me, but I realized that she would be good back-up for when I told Spencer that I was really Ali. In a moment of generosity, I had even let her borrow my sexiest red dress and cute silver heels, making a silent promise to myself that if she messed them up in any way, I would yank every strand of hair out of her head.

As we approached the bouncer, I tossed my hair behind my shoulder and put on a winning smile. He took one look at my face and ushered me inside without even looking at my fake ID. He actually glanced at Spencer's, and did a complete scan of Emily's. It wasn't surprising—I was a hundred times prettier than both of these bitches combined.

"We are going to have an _awesome_ time!" I squealed once we were inside the hot, sweaty club. I didn't even like this song. "I am _so_ excited!" _Maybe I can ditch them for a while and hook up with a boy or something._

"Me too." Emily said, staring at me. I looked away to hide my smirk.

Pushing my way over to the bar, I ordered us three raspberry martinis. This would be a lot easier to deal with if I was drunk. "Bottoms up, ladies!"

Spencer hesitated like the goody-goody that she always had been, but Emily immediately agreed. I had been _so_ right about having her as back-up.

I got us tipsy with second drinks, then dragged them onto the dance floor. Dancing sexily to "Hollaback Girl," I closed my eyes, trying to pretend that they weren't there.

Spencer started being all nostalgic, and Emily decided to drop all these annoying little hints about who I was. Everyone was staring longingly or trying to gyrate against us, but I didn't particularly care. It might be a moment in the spotlight for Spencer and Emily, but this was my everyday.

Suddenly, a guy who looked like he was stuck in the 80s started practically humping me. God, he wasn't even cute! I turned away to say _No, thanks!_ but then he started to go for Emily. Please, why was he going for _her_? Well, if he couldn't have me, he couldn't have any of us. "Hide behind me!" I ordered.

"I think one of us has to dance with him to make him go away." Emily pointed out unhelpfully.

I suddenly had an idea. My eyes twinkling, I whispered, "Not it."

Spencer looked stunned. "W-what?" Clearly, she thought only Ali knew about that game. Jason had taught me it in 5th grade, long before Courtney stole my life.

"Not it!" I repeated, enjoying her speechlessness. "Don't tell me you've forgotten our old favorite game, Spence."

She looked as though she had been struck by lightning. I glanced at Emily, who nodded, trying to look as if she knew so much. _Please, bitch, you don't know anything yet._

I grabbed Spencer's arm and pushed her into a booth. Feeling as though I was giving a well-rehearsed speech, I said, "Spence, I have something to tell you. Emily already knows."

"Knows?" Spencer said confusedly, her head looking back and forth between Emily and I. "Knows what? What's going on?"

I grabbed her hands. This was it. "Spence…I'm Ali."

Spencer shot away from me. "That's not funny!" I patiently waited for her to realize that I was serious. "Stop it!" she demanded a little hysterically. "Stop it right now!"

Emily immediately jumped to my defense. "It's true! Honest, just hear her out." I chuckled, glad that I had brought her along.

I explained my story slowly, so even her ignorant mind could understand. The whole time, Spencer looked as though she was about to faint, her skin pale and sallow. _How_ did anyone think she was pretty?

When I finally finished my story, Spencer squeaked, "How many times were you in Rosewood together?"

I furrowed my brow. Why did she care? "Just once. The weekend my sister died." I looked down so they wouldn't see the twinkle in my eyes at the mention of Courtney's death.

"No, wait." Emily objected. "Wasn't she here one other time?" She showed us the picture of me, Jenna, and Courtney.

_Damn._ I had forgotten about that. "Oh, right, I forgot. She was home for a couple hours when she was switching hospitals," I said nonchalantly, as if the weekend that destroyed my perfect life was of no importance.

Spencer blinked fast, as if her poor little head was having trouble comprehending it all. "But if Courtney always pretended she was Ali, how do I know you aren't Courtney?"

Before I could respond, Emily jumped to my defense. "She's not!" I just nodded.

Spencer was determined to find a flaw in my explanation, pointing out that I wasn't wearing my Ali ring. I scrunched up my face in annoyance, trying to think of an excuse. Finally I wildly invented that I had lost the ring before the morning of their last sleepover.

"I don't remember you wearing it that night!" Emily assured. This was _so_ easy with her here.

I took Spencer's hands seriously and talked about how I was sorry for everything, I didn't mean any of it, blah blah blah. When she asked how I found out we were sisters, I couldn't think of an excuse fast enough, saying that it didn't matter than quickly changing the subject.

All of a sudden, Spencer started screaming at me, tears cascading down her cheeks. I stared in speechless disbelief. Who cried when their best friend came back? Finally, I just stammered that I was sorry and I wasn't allowed to call them. Then (quite cleverly) I used reverse psychology for them to feel guilty.

Before Spencer could get herself all worked up again over how _terrible_ I was, I hugged her. "Hot!" someone behind us declared. I turned around to find the hideous guy that had tried to grind with me earlier.

I laughed into my hand, giving the girls a sly look. "Not it!" I exclaimed, letting out a large, fake laugh. Spencer hesitated, then finally threw her arms around me.

I had managed to convince her nearly as easily as Emily. _Two bitches down. Halfway done._


	10. A failed apology

**Hey, everyone! I know this chapter is short and it wasn't in the book, but I really felt like the story needed it. I hope everyone likes it!**

I applied one last layer of gloss to my lips and tamed a stray hair with my straightener. Walking downstairs, I shouted, "Mom, I'm leaving for school!"

I left the house without waiting for a reply, stumbling a little towards the car—I had a terrible hangover from the club last night.

After I told Spencer my true identity and we screamed "not it" at the stalker guy, we had jumped back onto the dance floor and eventually had a drinking contest. Emily had had to drive us home, as she was the most sober. I had stumbled into the house around midnight, thinking that the only creatures still awake were the chirping crickets, only to find my over-worried mother waiting for me in the living room.

"Courtney!" she had exclaimed, jumping out of her chair with eyes full of anger. "What on Earth possessed you to stay out past _midnight_ and not even so much as call, especially after what this family has gone through!"

I had immediately flared up. "Oh, stop it, Mom! All you cared about was her, never once thinking about me being stranded in the mental hospital! I shouldn't even have been there! And you never answered my calls, and I was just trying to tell you that—" I stopped myself.

My mother looked skeptical. "You wanted to tell me what, exactly?"

I looked down, mumbling, "Just that I didn't deserve to be there." _Easy, Alison._ She would know her mistake eventually—I would tell her right before I killed her. Before my drunken stupor could get me into anymore trouble, I had run upstairs and fallen asleep immediately.

Now I was unlocking the door of my shiny car. As I was about to get in, though, my mother came out of the house with Jason walking behind her, his eyes wary. "Hey, Courtney, why don't you let me drive you to school? Jason would like to come, too."

I opened my mouth to protest, but my mother grabbed the keys from my outstretched hand and slid easily into the front seat. Resisting the urge to rake my fingernails down her arm, I stomped around to the shotgun seat, leaving Jason to cram himself into the back.

The first few miles were quiet. My mother sat straight in her seat, occasionally glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes, while Jason just stared out the window at the rolling hills and family-owned businesses. I applied concealer to the shadows under my eyes and maintained a huffy silence, also watching the scenery and planning to move to New York as soon as I turned 18.

Finally, my mother let out a long, loud, breathy sigh. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak.

"I know why you stayed out so late last night," she said in a sad, overly dramatic voice. I wrinkled my nose—what was she raving about _now_? Trying to look politely confused, I blinked my large sapphire-blue eyes innocently.

"It's me," she continued slowly. "You wish that you had your mother's company more. I just haven't been around enough for you. You stayed out last night to make me notice you a little more. I take full blame—I don't resent you for wanting to spend a little more time with me."

I had my mouth open during this whole speech. Did my failure of a mom honestly think that I was _jealous_ for her _attention?_ Surprise giving way to boiling anger, I opened my mouth to scream at her, then thought better of it. The last thing I needed was for her to assume I was a raving lunatic and send me back to that hell of a mental hospital. Swallowing my anger, I said in a would-be calm voice, "You're right. I-I'm sorry, Mom." I almost choked on my words.

She looked a little surprised that I had given in so quickly, but pleased nonetheless. "Well, I'm glad we got that straightened out, sweetie," she simpered, patting my hand.

We pulled into the Rosewood Day parking lot, and reporters swarmed our car. My mom's eyes lit up, and she elegantly stepped out of the car to talk to them. The reporters gathered around her instead, buying Jason and I a few moments of time alone.

Jason leaned forward and put his ice-cold hand on my shoulder, his eyes full of remorse. "Courtney, I know that our mom has it all wrong. I'm sorry about that, but her common sense is a little screwed up since…you know."

I became angry immediately, pulling away and turning to face him. Not him too! The loss of my angelic sister had made my poor martyr of a mother go a little haywire, is that it? "Don't give me that shit, Jason, alright?"

He looked upset. "Courtney, just let me finish. I care about you—"

"Oh, like hell you do!" I screamed. "It's not like you ever visited me in the mental hospital, not like you missed me! It was all about her! You never understood me, and you never tried to. So you know what, Jason? Just leave me alone!"

His blue eyes, so much like mine, looked horrified. Before he could say any more than "Courtney, wait!" I was out of the car and running across the parking lot.


	11. A fashion disaster

**Hey, everyone! Another of my longer chapters…review, please! It doesn't matter if it's a bad review. I won't bite, I promise :)**

School today had been a blur. I had had to focus so hard on not showing my anger from the fight with my family that I couldn't focus on anything else.

Now, however, I was about to have some fun watching Hanna be embarrassed. We had met afterschool and were now on the subway, heading towards the fashion show. I had wanted to rent a limo, but instead, for some strange reason, we were riding a rickety subway train that smelled like pee, drinking cheap wine and getting dirty looks from an old cat lady across the aisle.

They were all wearing outdated DVF dresses, which was going to look _so_ lame when they got kicked out of the show. I, meanwhile, had put on a simple Marc Jacobs dress—something that I would wear anywhere (and yet _still_ I looked 10 times better than any of them). This way, I would be the only one that didn't look like a washed-out wannabe who got rejected from a couture fashion show.

Finally, the subway clattered to a stop. We walked up into the streets of New York City, blinking in the bright sunlight. "This way!" Hannah ordered smugly, acting as though she was queen of the world. I rolled my eyes—she had probably searched where Bryant Park was on Google Maps.

Naomi nudged me. "We should go to that restaurant you read about in Daily Candy, shouldn't we?"

That restaurant had sounded awful, but I had suggested it because I knew that we wouldn't be going to any restaurant at all after we weren't admitted to the show. "Definetely!" I chirped. "But only if Hanna wants to." I hated kissing her ass, but I needed her to think that I had her back.

We strode through Bryant Park, celebrities bustling around us. The others were squealing and clutching each other, but I really didn't think that it was that exciting. All of these people would work for _me_ one day. Cameras focused on our group. Hanna noticed and tried to act nonchalant, squinting and puffing out her lips. I almost doubled up laughing.

We walked up to the tent. "Hi, our reservations are under Marin," Hanna said, trying and failing to hide her excitement. She swiveled around and grinned at us, and I leered back. _Here it comes._

The man glanced at the tickets and let out a girlish giggle. "How sweet. Someone knows how to use Photoshop!"

Hanna put on a pouty, confused expression. "Huh?"

He tossed the invites in Hanna's face. "Honey," he said, smirking condescendingly, "To get into this tent, you need a black key with the DVF logo on the front. One hundred people received them a month ago. These flimsy things won't get you squat."

Hanna look as though he had smacked her. "My mom sent me these!" she squeaked. "They're real!"

The guy raised his tweezed eyebrows. "Mommy's got some explaining to do." Turning away, he said, "Go back to daycare, girls."

Hanna backed away. Cameras flashed; soon this would be all over the blogs. I grinned—it had been better than I had expected.

Meanwhile, the girls were screaming at Hanna. Naomi shoved her roughly against a tree. "What the hell, Hanna?"

"She did this on purpose!" Riley screeched, pointing a manicured fingernail at Hanna. "You were right, Naomi. Someone like her could never get tickets to this thing."

Hanna's eyes darted back and forth like a trapped animal's. "I didn't know!" she stammered frantically. "I'll call my mom. She can work this out."

Kate took over the catfight, nudging Naomi and Riley out of the way. "There's nothing to work out," she told Hanna, her voice low and malicious. "We gave you a chance, and you blew it!"

I crossed my arms, watching with enjoyment.

"You're never going to be popular at Rosewood Day again!" Naomi was saying. "Let's go to the Waverly Inn. Don't you dare follow us!" she threatened, pulling us away. We left Hanna standing alone in the crowd, mascara running down her cheeks as she cried silently.

I felt a twinge of panic. They were supposed to be so upset that they would forget about staying overnight in the hotel room. I didn't have _time_ to stay in a hotel: I still had to tell Hanna _and_ Aria that I was Ali, and I needed to do it tonight so they would have some time to get used to the fact.

Pulling out my iPhone, I feigned a look of surprise. "Oh! My mom's calling." Naomi, Riley, and Kate stopped and listened to me talk. I felt strange, having a conversation with nothing but silence on the other end of the phone. "Mom? Yeah, I'm at the fashion show that I told you about. What? But we were going to spend the night…Aw, c'mon! That's stupid. But…alright, fine."

I put the phone back in my purse and formed my face into an irritated expression. "My mom says I need to come home to 'spend quality time with my family.'"

Kate wrinkled her forehead. "You can't even stay for dinner?"

I shook my head. "No, my mom can be a real hard-ass sometimes."

"Oh," Naomi said, pursing her lips. "Well, I guess we'll see you at school tomorrow?" I nodded, waving good-bye and walking away.

I quickly jogged back to where we had left Hanna, but she wasn't there. _Damn._ Could she have gotten back on the subway already? Frantically looking around, I finally spotted her on the steps to a library.

I slowly walked up to her, making my face have a soft, sweet expression. Hanna looked up. "Oh," she blurted.

"Hi." I waited for her to say something else.

"What do you want?" she asked rudely, turning away.

Well, someone had a case of the bitchiness. "Are you okay?" I asked, sitting down. When she didn't respond, I added, "They'll get over it."

Hanna's eyes filled with tears. "No they won't! I blew it! I'm officially a loser," she vented.

_Yes, you are. _"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!" she argued. Looking as though she didn't want to admit this, she said, "Before I met your sister, I was really lame. I don't even know why she wanted to be friends with me. I'm not cool. I've never been cool. I can't change that."

_She wanted to be friends with you because she could use you easily, idiot._ "Hanna." My voice was firm. "That's the stupidest thing you've ever said."

She sniffed. "You've known me for two days."

_Here we go._ "I've known you for a lot longer than that." It was true.

She looked confused. "Huh?"

_Huh?_ I mimicked in my head. Alright, how best to put this? "Come on. I thought you'd known for a while. Since the hospital."

"The…hospital?"

How slow _was_ she? "Don't you remember?" I asked, speaking slowly. "I visited you while you were in a coma."

She thought hard. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes widened. "Ali?"

Finally! I spread out my arms, as if to say, _Yep! In the flesh._

Hanna looked queasy. "What?" she stuttered. "_How?"_

I told her my somewhat distorted version of events. Even though this was my third time reciting this, it never got any less intense. Amazingly, Hanna seemed to lap it all up as quickly as Spencer and Emily. Now I just needed to seal the deal: to say what she had wanted to hear all along.

Staring into her eyes, I said seriously, "Hanna, I never thought you were a loser. And seriously, look at you now. You're…stunning." _Lies, lies, and…lies._

Hanna looked as though her dreams had come true. "Thanks," Her voice was hushed.

Now I would help her get back at Naomi, Kate, and Riley, in order for her to fully believe that I was on her side. Also, it would be a nice little payback on-the-side to Naomi and Riley for not realizing that their best friend had been replaced by a psycho. They hadn't been so evil that I needed to kill them, just give them a taste of revenge.

"You and I are the ones who deserve to be popular, Hanna. Not your stepsister. And especially not Naomi and Riley. So you know what we need to do?"

"W-what?" she stammered.

This was nice—I was, once again, cool and in control. I finally knew what those love letters I stole would be good for.

I smiled evilly. "We ditch the bitches," I told her. "And then we take them down."

I hailed a taxi, and one pulled over immediately. I tossed my hair over my shoulder and got inside, not surprised. Of course it did—_I'm Ali and I'm fabulous._


	12. Wishing this was easier

**Hey, everyone! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been pretty busy. This is one of my longest chapters ever, and I think it's pretty good. As always, I want to thank people for the reviews, and also, I would like to thank the people that added this story to their favorites list. Keep R&R-ing, everyone! :)**

I stumbled through the woods, tripping over branches and feeling leaves get tangled in my perfectly curled hair. _Damn it._ This was _so_ not fun, especially in the dark, but it needed to be done now.

It was late Thursday night, and I was heading to Courtney's old favorite place: a broken down wishing well in the middle of the woods. For some reason, she had had this weird obsession with it, even ruining my flag in 6th grade by drawing the stupid thing in the middle.

I was out here because, after getting home from the fashion show, I had been searching through my closet for my favorite shoes when I had seen them: Polaroids. The Polaroids that I had taken the night that I killed my sister.

I wasn't sure _why_ I had taken them in the first place—I could only recall thinking to myself, _This is what has become of the life that she stole. You MUST get it back. You must…_

The incriminating photos had just been sitting in an old shoebox, stuffed away to never be looked at again. I needed to get rid of them, though—nothing could link me to that night. I needed to make sure that NO ONE saw these photos.

After thinking about it carefully, I had picked the wishing well as the spot to bury them. It just seemed appropriate for the last evidence of when Courtney died to be laid to rest at her favorite spot.

I remembered the last time that I had followed Courtney here, on that fateful weekend when we switched lives.

_My mother and I watched Courtney's blond hair whip around the side of the house and out of sight. Sighing, my mother said, "Ali, would you go after her and bring her home? I need to make sure that everything is packed for her to move to the Preserve. I'm fairly sure that she won't go far."_

_I shoved on my Kate Spade flip-flops and headed out the door. As much as I didn't want to have to babysit my insane sister, I was willing to do anything that would get her back where she belonged: an insane asylum. And, more importantly, she needed to be caught before anyone saw her._

_I ran after her, not needing to follow her footprints, as I knew exactly where she was going. Sure enough, when I finished the climb up the steep slope to that stupid wishing well, there she was._

"_Courtney," I panted. "You need to come back home."_

_She turned and smiled eerily at me. "Oh, I'm coming. I just had to perfect my drawing and get all the little details right." She slowly pulled something out of her back pocket: my Time Capsule piece._

_Waving it in front of my face, she taunted me. "You want it? Personally, I think it would look nicer at the bottom of this well!"_

_I made a desperate grab for it, but she cackled and swung her arm into the well. Just as she was about to let go, Jason emerged from the trees. _

_Before she could react, he had snatched the flag and put it in his pocket. "That's enough," he ordered, his voice deeper than usual. "C'mon, time to go." He grabbed both of us by our arms and led us away._

I shuddered from the memory and put it into the back of my mind.

I had had to hike the whole way here, parking on the street where my old house was and hiking the rest of the way, so no one would even consider that I would come here. I was pretty sure that nobody knew about the well, but best to not take any chances—if anyone found these photos, I was done for.

The other reason I had decided to walk was because this path would cut through Aria's street, and I was hoping to see her on the way back. However, I seemed to have picked up the attention of someone other than Aria: on the way here, I felt a constant prickling on the back of my neck that told me someone was watching.

Panting, I finally reached the haunting place. It had deteriorated since I had last checked it out: some pieces of the rotting wood had fallen to the ground, and the moss, which had been scattered here and there before, was now overtaking the entire thing. The bucket that had been propped against the well was now overturned on its side, like someone had kicked it.

I stared at the well for a moment, my breath making a cloud in front of me. Then, as an owl hooted, I began to look around for some loose dirt to bury the photos in.

Suddenly, however, I heard branches cracking and leaves rustling: someone was coming. Panicking, I shoved the photos into a loose patch of soil and stood up, just as the person came into view.

It was Melissa. That bitch had been following me around since I arrived in Rosewood. I smiled at her innocently. "Hey! You're Spencer's sister, right?"

She glared at me venomously. "I know you know who I am. And you know what else I know?" I pretended to be politely confused, shaking my head no. "I know that you're up to something," she hissed, putting her face so close that our noses almost touched. "And I don't know what it is, and I'm not even sure that I know who you _are_, but I'm going to find out, I promise you."

My lips curled up in a sneer that I hoped she would think was a confused smile. "Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about." _Maybe I should just kill her. _We were completely alone, and no one would hear her scream…

No. This wasn't the time—too traceable.

She locked eyes with me, but took a few steps back. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you do either. I'm Courtney. That's all there is to it." She gave me one more icy glare, then ran off into the darkness.

"Just watch your back!" I hissed, just low enough so she wouldn't hear it.

I stood for a moment, anger pulsing through me at what had just happened. That bitch was getting troublesome—I would take her out the next time I had a moment to spare.

Suddenly, the air was marred with the sounds of yet _another_ person coming. I retreated into the shadows, hoping that whoever it was would pass through quickly so I could bury the photos, instead of just shoving them halfway under a pile of dirt.

When the figure emerged from the trees, though, I immediately stepped out to greet her. It was Aria.

She was looking at the well, entranced. I cleared my throat. "Aria?"

She jumped and screamed, whipping her head around. I smiled earnestly. "C-Courtney?"

_Who else would it be, dumbass?_ Grasping for a topic of conversation, I said, "I didn't realize anyone else knew about this place."

She looked uncomfortable, but eventually asked if I had seen Melissa come up here.

I wasn't sure how to respond. If I told her that I had seen Melissa, then she would ask what we had talked about, or maybe run off after her before I could tell her who I was. "It's just me and the moon," I finally lied.

Aria seemed suspicious. "What are you doing here?"

She was _so_ obnoxious, being awfully rude to me when I hadn't even done anything to her…well, yet, anyway. "Just checking out an old haunt." My nose wrinkled at the thought of ever coming here for _fun._

She looked shocked, for some odd reason. "I used to come here to think," I continued conversationally. Then, I had an idea about how to introduce myself as Ali. "It was the only place that was just mine. It's why I drew it on my Time Capsule flag." The lie tasted bitter in my mouth as I remembered the day that Courtney wreaked havoc on my flag, which I had spent hours on.

It worked, though. Aria's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

I told her that I knew Jason had given it to her: I had seen him take the flag from Courtney, and had read in Courtney's diary about the guilty expression on Aria's face whenever the topic of the game was brought up.

Aria was staring at me. "What the _hell_ is going on?" she demanded.

_Pushy, pushy, aren't we?_ I reached toward her. "Don't freak out…but I'm not Courtney. I'm Ali."

She fell, and for a moment it looked like she had fainted, but then she started to scramble away. "Please don't run away!" I begged her. If she ran now, everything would be ruined. "Just let me explain."

I told her my story, which was getting really tiresome. At the end, just like I had with all the others, I apologized for all the crap that "I" had given them. Except this time, she didn't hug me, or cry with happiness, or look as though her dreams had come true. She just stood and blinked at me.

"Just think about it, okay?" I pleaded. She _had_ to believe me, because she _had_ to come to the Poconos with the rest of us, so I could kill all of them once and for all.

Aria looked as though she was having an inner battle of some sort. Deciding that I was bored of talking to her, I turned and walked away without a good-bye.

She would come. I knew she would, because, no matter how hard they tried, in the end, no one could resist bending to the will of Alison.


	13. A turn of events

**Hey, everyone! Thank you all SO SO SO much for the reviews, especially the people that added my story to their favorites list! You guys are all great :) Sorry for not updating for a few days, but with school, volleyball, and babysitting, I'm really busy all the time! This chapter is a mix of a few chapters in the book. This story has about 5 more chapters, so make sure to review for everyone! Thanks :)**

The next morning, I decided to actually eat breakfast, since all I had had for dinner was a banana. Sticking a piece of sourdough bread in the toaster, I sat down, still tired from last night.

"Good morning, Courtney," my father said, walking into the kitchen with today's newspaper in hand. I didn't respond, still lost in thought about how the scene at the well had gone.

I wasn't sure that Aria had completely gone to Team Ali. This was all Courtney's fault—why had she _needed_ to be so evil to Aria? Now it might ruin my plot to kill them all!

The toaster beeped, shooting up the bread. I pulled it out, lathering on butter and strawberry jam. I gulped down several big bites, then stopped. What the hell was I doing? Seriously, _butter_ and _strawberry jam?_ Could I have picked anything more fattening? Disgusted with myself, I threw the half-eaten toast away.

"You should eat that, you know," my father told me, his eyes on his paper.

Rolling my eyes, I mumbled that I would from now on. He glanced at me, then sighed and walked out of the room.

I sat back down, watching his retreating figure disappear around the corner. Everyone in this family hated me just because they thought I wasn't Ali, but whatever. Telling myself it didn't matter, I tossed my hair and laid out the newspaper to paint my nails magenta on. When I glanced at the headline under my pinkie, though, I gasped.

It was one of the Polaroids that I had buried the night before. The one where my face was reflected in the window. And it was on the front page of the paper.

Now the WHOLE world could see that it wasn't Billy. "Holy shit," I whispered. My breathing started to accelerate, and I put my head in my hands.

_Think, Ali, think._ _Who could have done this?_ And then it came to me. Aria. She had been the only one up there last night. Oh, she _so_ deserved to die, and I was going to make her last two days as miserable as possible: I would break her and Noel up, make her feel excluded from our fabulous group, and flaunt her brother's unpopularity.

Now I needed to hash this out. The picture was blurry, so I figured that no one would recognize me, at least not for a while. I needed to pin this on someone, and fast. But who? Who looked enough like me to pass as the person in that photo?

And then it came to me, in one stroke of brilliance.

Melissa.

She was my half-sister, so she could pass for me in that photo. Staring at the blurry Polaroid, I could almost picture it being Melissa.

I got up briskly. It had been stupid to think that this couldn't be worked out. Now I just needed a way to pin it on her…

Yet nothing came to me at the moment. _Oh, well._ I would think of something later. For now, I had to keep the four girls distracted so they wouldn't ask about it.

I grabbed my bag, then walked outside, unlocked my car, and drove away. Pulling out my phone (I thought it was stupid that it was illegal to text and drive—hadn't they ever heard of multitasking?), I texted Emily: _Can't wait to see you in gym today. XX. _

_Can't wait to see you, too. _She had replied within seconds. I sighed at how hopeless she was. Hoping that I wasn't laying on the flattery too think, I responded with: _XXXXXXXXXXXX_.

She didn't reply. I could almost see her blush, smile, and hold her phone close to her as she read the message. Flirting with her disgusted me, but hey, revenge hath no boundaries.

I pulled into the school parking lot, skirting around the barrage of reporters on my way to the entrance. I started on my way over to Steam for a coffee, but stopped and switched directions when I saw Spencer heading inside the main building. Had she seen the newspaper yet? Melissa _was_ her sister, after all, so she might notice the differences in the picture more than anyone else.

"Hey!" I bubbled, giving Spencer's shoulders a squeeze. "Just the person I wanted to see. We're getting ready for the dance tomorrow together, right?" They had wanted to shop for makeup and clothes with me, and I had just thought of using it as a time to convince them that Melissa was both A _and_ Courtney's killer.

"Yeah," Spencer growled, sounding angry. She suddenly kicked her locker.

I frowned. _Somebody needs to see a therapist. _"Uh…Is something wrong?"

She put her hands to her temples, breathing through her nose. "Melissa is driving me crazy."

I put my hands on my hips, and a few soccer team boys whistled at me as they passed. I winked at them, then reluctantly turned back to Spencer. "Did you have another fight about your mom?" I asked, knowing that the real reason was me.

"No," Spencer sighed. "Actually, it was about you."

"Me?" I asked, trying to look surprised. That settled it—Melissa could _not_ get in the way of my plans to destroy them.

"Yeah. I told her we were hanging out. She said I should stay away from you," she said, laughing nervously.

I looked down so she couldn't see the whisper of a smirk cross my face. "Maybe…maybe she's just looking out for you." I _loved_ hinting that I was evil and watch their dimwitted minds not even catch the clues.

Just like I thought, Spencer rolled her eyes. "You know Melissa. She definitely wasn't looking out for me."

"So, why did she say it?" I asked nonchalantly, wanting to hear Spencer's speculations about her sister's hatred of me.

Her eyes shifted from side to side, and there was a long pause before she answered. Finally, avoiding the question slightly, she asked hesitantly, "Do you think there's any way Melissa could know you aren't Courtney?"

I must have looked surprised—how could she have known that that was _exactly_ what Melissa knew? But then I realized that she was just guessing, and my face smoothed itself out. "No. No way."

"Are you sure?"

Jeez, why wouldn't this bitch just drop it? "I'm positive." I decided that now was a good time to get her sidetracked with a compliment that I had been saving for when I needed it. "Honestly, Spence, Melissa's probably just jealous. You both have another sister now, and I like you better."

I walked away quickly. It was true: even though I would end up killing them both, Spencer was being much more obedient than Melissa.

Strolling down the hall, people gave my body appreciative looks. It wasn't surprising—I was back on top, and I was going to push those bitches down.


	14. Quality revenge time

**Hey, everybody! As always, thanks for reviewing! Another one of my longer chapters, and I like this one a lot—maybe because Hanna was my favorite character in the book. Anyway, we are getting a little close to the end of the story, with about 4 or 5 chapters to go. I'm really enjoying writing this, and I hope everyone is enjoying reading it! Keep reviewing, everyone! Okay, that's all. On with the story! :)**

Hanna and I wandered through the mall, laden with shopping bags from Otter. Last period, she had come up to me and asked if I wanted to go shopping afterschool. It really wasn't on my Top 10 list of things to do, especially since I needed to take care of Melissa, but I did need to tell her about my plan to get mini-revenge on Naomi and Riley, and I _was_ in dire need of a shopping expedition.

As soon as we had pulled into the mall's parking lot, Hanna had made a beeline for Otter. A whole new section of the King James Mall had been added on since I had left Rosewood. Although Otter was a little too preppy for my taste, I had to admit that Hanna knew how to work a store.

She had showed me where they kept their top designer brands, and helped me steer clear of last season's clothes. She had selected several outfits and explained to me why they worked with my body type perfectly, and, when I quizzed her to see if she _really_ knew what was in style, she had aced every sneaky question. She even seemed to have her own personal salesgirl, a petite brunette with shining green eyes named Sasha, who brought us gorgeous clothes that weren't even on the racks yet.

I had to admit, Hanna impressed me a little, and I got along with her much, much better than the other three girls. I remembered her as such a fat, dorky loser, and now she was a beautiful, popular girl with great fashion sense.

If I didn't have such a burning desire to kill her, we might actually be friends!

Now we were approaching Rive Gauche, a French bistro in the upper-class section of the mall. Even though the food was a bit too fattening, it was the "it" place to be. I had only been here about twice before my twin stole my life, but I had missed this restaurant.

Hanna had filled me in on her love life while we were shopping, and even though it wasn't as interesting as I would have hoped, I couldn't resist listening to gossip.

She told me how she started going out with Aria's brother, and asked if Naomi and Riley had started the Skidz rumor. I had hesitated—if I said yes, then she would confront them about it, and find out I was lying. But if I said no, then she would try to find out who it was. Finally, I said that they had probably done it, which seemed to be a satisfying answer.

As we took our table at Rive Gauche, she mentioned that her old boyfriend, Lucas, used to work here. _Lucas Beattie? The total dweeb?_ No, that couldn't be it. She must be talking about someone else.

Goosebumps rose on my arms as I sat down on the cold leather of a booth, and I slipped my brand new silk scarf from Otter around my neck. "I want everyone to come to the Poconos house tomorrow after the Valentine's dance." I made it sound like I was asking her, but without really giving her a choice. Then, thinking that perhaps I sounded too demanding, I hurriedly added, "We can get drunk, go in the hot tub, reconnect…"

Her face broke into a huge smile. "That would be awesome!" she bubbled. It was so easy to bend them to my will.

I hesitated, then asked something that had been bothering me. "Do you think the others will go for it?" Even though I was certain that Spencer and Emily would, I needed Aria to go for it, too. It would be harder to kill her separately and make it look like an accident.

"Spencer and Emily definitely will," Hanna reassured. A flicker of annoyance crossed my face. _That's not what I'm worried about, bitch._ Didn't she see that Aria needed to come, too?

"We'll have to pick up alcohol and snacks," I started, before realizing that she wasn't paying any attention.

Hanna didn't notice my irritated expression. She was staring out the window, lost in thought. I could practically hear her mind thinking about our "fun" trip to the Poconos tomorrow. _Oh, boy, our first sleepover since 7__th__ grade! We can tell secrets, and get drunk, and reconnect like one big happy family!_ I mimicked her naïve voice in my head.

We were both jolted out of our reveries by a thin waitress coming to take our orders. Handing back the menu without even glancing at it, Hanna told the waitress that we wanted _moules frites._ I wrinkled my nose—didn't that mean mussels and fries? Oh, well—since I had practically lived on bananas and coffee for the past few days, I figured that I could afford to eat something a little fattening for once.

Quickly, I pulled out my iPhone and opened the PDF document with the love letters that Naomi, Riley, and Kate had written. "Okay, on to Operation TTBD—take those bitches down." Little did she know that the _real_ Operation TTBD was about taking her and Courtney's other three groupees down.

"Great!" Hanna squealed. She hadn't even tried to help think of a plan to help get back at Naomi, Kate, and Riley. I sighed inwardly, thinking that this was the reason they didn't figure out my plan.

"I figured out the perfect thing to do," I continued, pushing away my frustration towards her cluelessness. "So when I was hanging out with them the other day?"

Hanna nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, before you got home, we were buzzed on rum, and they all wrote love letters to their crushes."

"Love letters? Really?" Hanna asked with an air of superiority. "That's so…"

"Seventh grade?" I finished her sentence. _Please, I would bet anything that you have about a hundred love letters stashed under your bed._ "I know. Anyway, you should've seen the letters they wrote. Really juicy stuff. I stayed out of it, of course, because as Courtney, I haven't been here long enough to have a crush on anyone yet." I didn't add that I would totally do either Noel Kahn, Mason Byers, or James Freed if I had the chance. "Right before I left, I stole the letters and scanned them on the machine in your mom's old office. They're all on my phone. We can print them and pass them out at the dance. Valentine's Day is all about unrequited love, after all!"

I showed Hanna the letters, and she studied them with an impressed look on her face. It _was_ a brilliant plan, after all—not too evil, but good enough to satisfy my taste for revenge _and_ insure that those three would be knocked down from their popular pedestal, which was my rightful place to stand.

Hanna high-fived me. Seriously, who _high-fived_ once they were out of sixth grade? "So until the dance," I continued, "I need to pretend Naomi, Riley, Kate and I are still BFF's. They can't know we're talking, otherwise it'll blow the whole thing." Plus, it would give me just the right amount of time to show the school that I was part of the "It" crowd, then I could take my spot as ruler without looking too pushy.

Hanna was agreeing with me. Then, looking hesitant to ask this, she added, "Why did you ditch Naomi and Riley back in sixth grade, anyway?"

My eyes widened. _Damn it!_ I had totally forgotten to think of a cover story for that. "I realized that they weren't really my friends after all," I mumbled, trying to edge around the question.

"Did they do something to you?" she demanded. _Why_ wouldn't she just let it freaking drop? Just because we were "friends" didn't mean that she could act like she was equal to me.

"Uh, you could say that," I answered testily, looking down.

Luckily, our waitress came with our plate of greasy food at that moment. I immediately started to dig in, hoping that she would, too. I had noticed that Hanna was the kind of girl who gained five pounds by eating one strip of beef jerky, and I was hoping to get her to stuff her face and gain some weight, just for my entertainment.

To my relief, Hanna dropped the subject of me ditching Naomi and Riley. "This letter thing is an awesome plan," she gushed. "It'll be like the famous Will Butterfield note!"

I stopped eating. What the hell was she talking about now? "Huh?"

She looked confused. "You know, the time you found that note Will Butterfield wrote to his math teacher and got Spencer to read it over the morning announcements? It was classic!"

Crap, it had been Courtney that had done that, not me. I had no recollection of that memory whatsoever, and it clearly hadn't been important enough for her to put in her diary. "Oh. Yeah. Right." I smiled, but it turned into a frown just as quickly. "Sorry. It just…seems so long ago."

Hanna looked a little weirded out, but patted my arm. I resisted the urge to yank it away, and instead let my gaze wander. I watched a group of little kids race by, their mothers hurrying after them. My eyes then traveled to the bubbling fountain…and that's when I saw a flash of blond hair lurking behind it.

Hanna noticed the figure, too, and turned to me nervously. "Who is that?"

"I don't know," I stuttered, my hands shaking. Because, of course, I did know.

Melissa.

It was time to take her down.


	15. A gentle rejection

**Hey again, everybody! As usual, thanks for the reviews! I wrote this as quickly as possible, because lately I haven't been updating as much as I said I would. So, here you go! Keep reviewing everyone! Thanks :)**

…`_It's all led up to this big moment. The curtain's about to go up, bitches, and the show is about to begin. Get ready to meet your maker. It won't be long now. Kisses! A (the real one)_

It was Friday evening, and I was writing the letter that explained who I really was. I finished typing the note and reread it through. _Perfect_. I was going to stick this note into the room where they were trapped tomorrow, right before I set the fire that ended their lives. It would explain everything, and they would die feeling idiotic, regretful, and miserable—just what I wanted them to feel.

I hit Print, then walked to my dad's workroom, where the letter was sitting on the printer, still crisp and warm. I folded into an envelope, which I wrote _To: Four Bitches; From: A_ on the front in my bubbly handwriting.

Walking back to my bedroom, I stuck the note into my bag, enjoying the thought of their eyes widening and jaws dropping as they read the letter.

I stared out the window at the sheets of rain pouring down. Now I just needed a plan to get rid of Melissa. Alright, what exactly needed to happen? Well, the girls (and eventually everyone) needed to think that it was Melissa's reflection in the Polaroid. Melissa needed to die, and it had to look like an accident.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. What if I trapped Melissa in the same fire that would kill the four girls?

I began pacing back and forth. _Yes, that's a perfect idea._ I could kidnap Melissa…and, in her absence, convince Spencer and the others that she was A, and Courtney's killer. Then I could bring her to the Poconos, kill all five of them in the fire, and…and say that she was the one that had lit it!

I smiled widely as the pieces of my brilliant plan fell into place. After the fire was over and all the bitches were dead, I could say that we had seen Melissa follow us to the house. She had broken in and lit the fire, telling us that she was A. Panicking, we had all ran in different directions, but I was the only one that had made it out alive. It seemed as though Melissa hadn't made it out of the house, either.

I punched the air. "Yes!" I cried. This was _the_ most foolproof plan that I had come up with yet. Now I just needed to kidnap her. _I should go do it right now_.

As I glanced out the window again, however, I saw an old Volvo pull into our driveway—Emily's car. Groaning, I collapsed down on my 600-thread-count sheets. I did _not_ have time for her right now! What could she possibly need?

As if trying to answer my question, the doorbell rang at that moment. As Jason answered it and started talking to Emily, I closed my eyes, savoring my last minute of alone time. Then he yelled, "Courtney, Emily's here!" Slowly, I got up, glanced in the mirror at my (as usual) flawless reflection, and hurried downstairs.

Jason glared at me, clearly still pissed about the fight we had had in the car yesterday morning. I made a shooing motion with my hands, and he turned around and sulked off.

I turned to Emily. "Hey, what a nice surprise!" I lied easily, which I was getting really good at.

Emily stared at me, grinning stupidly. "Hi."

After a slightly awkward pause, I suggested that we go to the den. She followed quickly, sticking her nose into every picture on the way. _Why are they all so damn nosy? You'd think that, from how much time they spend peering into other people's items, they would be able to figure out if someone is trying to kill them._

As I sat down on the tan leather couch, she asked in a low voice, "Are you sure your brother doesn't know who you really are?"

Why would she think that? Of course he didn't. "No," I said quickly, glaring at Emily. "And please don't tell him. My family has to believe I'm Courtney. It's the only way they'll think I'm better." _How_ many times did I have to explain this to her? If she let it slip that I was Ali, I would yank every single one of her fingernails off, then scratch out her eyes with them.

"I promise," she was saying. Suddenly, she leaned forward and put her hand over mine. "I missed you today," she said shyly. "There was something I wanted to ask you."

What. The. Hell? Suddenly I knew why she was here: she had come to ask me out. _Shit! _"What?" I asked, as if I had no clue.

She flushed slightly. "Well, there's a school Valentine's Day dance tomorrow…"

Oh, no way was I going to a _school dance_ with her! I would never be a lesbian. But how could I turn her down without making her hate me?

She cleared her throat nervously. "Anyway, I was wondering if you'd…If you'd want to go with me. Like, as a date. We could double with my sister and her boyfriend. It'll be really fun."

"Em…" I started to say. Suddenly, a laugh bubbled up in my throat. She just looked so _pathetic_, sitting there with her life practically depending on me saying yes. Even if I _was_ a lesbo, there would be no way that I would go with someone like _her_.

Unfortunately, Emily noticed my amused expression, standing up suddenly. "I have to go," she stammered, avoiding my eyes.

I frowned. She needed to still be on good terms with me. "What? Why?"

She grabbed for her jacket, but it fell to the floor. "I just remembered, I have homework," she mumbled, bending over to pick it up.

I morphed my face into a regretful expression. "I don't want you to leave!" She determinedly looked away, so I continued talking. "I meant what I said the other day about how I feel about you. But I have to get my life together first, okay?"

Emily didn't respond, but got her car keys out of her purse. Jeez, what did she want me to say? "I'm not going to ditch you! The most important thing is that we're friends again. We can still hang out at the dance. And I want all of us to get ready together."

She finally looked at me and asked, "All of us?" She probably wanted just me and her to get ready together, thinking that we would fool around or something disgusting like that.

"You, me, Spencer, Hanna…" I told her. _All of my bitchy little "friends"._ "Maybe even Aria? I was thinking that we could go to my family's Poconos house afterward." Willing her to say yes, I squeezed her hands. "I want all of us to be back together again, like things used to be."

She still looked wary, but sat back down. "Please stay!" I begged, my voice convincingly sorry. "We need to talk about the dance, now that I know you're going. I bet you haven't even picked out a dress yet." I was trying to distract her with lighter topics.

She pondered this. "Well, no…I was thinking of wearing something of my sister's."

God, I bet she didn't even have a dress of her own. What kind of girl _was_ she? "Just like old times!" I giggled, punching her as hard as I could while still making it seem playful.

I pulled open a copy of _Teen Vogue_ and pointed out a gorgeous pale pink wrap dress (even though she could never rock something like that). As I found a few more dresses, she nodded occasionally, but seemed lost in thought.

Suddenly, Jason stomped down the stairs, glared at us, and stormed out the door. I wished that he would just get over that stupid quarrel that we had yesterday. I didn't regret it, though—every word that I had said was true.

I pretended not to notice him, and Emily quickly followed my lead. I wished she would just leave so I could kidnap Melissa, but I knew that I wasn't going to get to do that tonight.

It would all come in time, though. After all, nothing didn't work out once I got a say in it.


	16. A quickie kidnap

**Hello as always, everybody! This is my longest chapter yet, and another one that's not in the book. It's when Ali goes to kidnap Melissa. It's pretty intense, and was really fun to write! Enjoy, everyone! Remember to review! Alright, on with the chapter :)**

I awoke at 6:00am the next morning, pulling on a T-shirt and jeans and dabbing some make-up on my face, then slipping silently out of the house. It was Saturday, the day of the dance, and it was time to go give Melissa what she deserved.

I got into the car and plopped my Burberry bag down onto the seat next to me. In the bag, instead of the usual makeup, hair products, iPhone, and event planner, I had everything I needed for a classic kidnapping: duct tape, rope, sleeping drugs, binoculars, and crackers and a metal water bottle, in case I got hungry.

I giggled to myself as I pulled out of the driveway—this was just like one of those cheesy old action movies. A dense fog covered the ground, giving off an eerie setting. I rolled down the windows and cranked up the radio on my way over to the Hastings's house, letting my hair blow behind me in the breeze, feeling on top of the world.

I parked around the corner from their house, grabbed my bag, and silently hid behind a tree in their yard. Everything looked just the same as when I lived here: daisies still grew in the front yard of my old house, Spencer's window and my old one still faced each other, and, down the street, Mona's house had the same fountain and six-car garage.

I sighed to myself—Mona and I could have been best friends. How could I have known that she would have grown up to be as beautiful, popular, and conniving as me? I turned my eyes away from her house, focusing on the differences in the cul-de-sac where my old home resided.

First, there was the Jenna shrine and Ali shrine. I smirked, remembering Jenna's innocent, confused expression when I pushed her into that trench and killed her. I didn't feel guilty at all—what's done is done. Looking into Spencer's backyard, I saw the remains of their barn, and the blackened trees from the fire. _That fire was so fun to set._

Suddenly, a movement from the Hastings's house distracted me. I aimed my binoculars up towards Spencer's window and watched her slowly get out of bed, stretch, and pull a Michael Kors strapless leather dress out of her closet. She held it in front of her in her full length mirror, examining it from every angle and smiling widely. Then she pulled a towel from her closet, walked into the bathroom connected with her room, and closed the door behind her, presumably to take a shower.

I smirked. They were all so looking forward to the dance and the Poconos trip afterward. I reeled in the satisfaction that in less than 24 hours, they would be dead.

All of a sudden, the Hastings's front door opened softly. I ducked back behind the tree and watched Melissa walk down the long driveway, focusing on a pamphlet in her hand.

My eyes narrowed. It wasn't even seven in the morning, so where was she going? I used my binoculars to zoom in on the pamphlet. It read, _Preserve at Addison-Stevens._

My heart skipped a beat. I knew exactly why she was planning to go there—to find out if her suspicions were correct about me. I couldn't let her tell anyone about me, which is exactly what she would do after her visit with my therapist back at the good ol' Preserve.

Silently, with the only sound being the faint _squish_ of mud under my feet, I crept back to my car. As Melissa's car drove around the corner and passed mine, I ducked, letting her think that it was just an empty vehicle parked at the curb. When she was a safe distance away, I turned my car on and began to trail her.

I had been planning to somehow stop her at a rest stop or something, but she got onto the highway and just drove, not even stopping for gas. I kept a safe distance behind her, making sure that she never noticed me.

Minutes passed, then a few more, then quite a few more. Eventually, it was 8:30am, and I was getting nervous. I could only pretend to sleep in for so long, and eventually my family would notice my absence.

Suddenly, she turned off onto a country lane, and a few moments later, turned into an empty parking lot and parked. I was confused for a moment, but then realized that she was walking the rest of the way because she didn't want anyone seeing her car parked in a mental hospital. Even when she was doing spy research, Melissa still cared about her reputation.

I parked after she did, grabbing my bag and quickly walking after her. She walked along the road, to my disappointment, since I couldn't grab her with witnesses driving by. Before I could think of a way to get her, she was walking through the front doors of the Preserve.

I crouched below an open window, listening to her greet the secretary. "Hello," she said, trying to sound brisk and professional. "I'm Melissa…DiLaurentis, Courtney DiLaurentis's sister. Courtney used to be a patient here, and now she goes to a regular high school and wants to be in a club afterschool, but in order for her to do that, they need to see a copy of her files, to ensure that she's completely sane. I'm here to pick those up. And also, I'm supposed to meet with her old therapist, to talk about her actions here and get a signature. I called this morning to make an appointment?"

_Ooh, clever story!_ I couldn't have thought of a better one myself. The secretary fell for it immediately, and ushered her into a back room. I stayed put in the bushes below the window, dread seeping through me. Very few places intimidated me, but this was my old prison—I had reason to be nervous.

Around 9:00, I heard the door opening and peeked around the corner to see Melissa step out into the sunlight. She had the files in her hands, and a shocked but determined look on her face. _She knows_, I instantly thought. _She knows everything._

Now was my only chance. As soon as she got into that car and back to Rosewood, the whole story would be out. I followed her, again, from a distance.

Melissa turned off the road, and walked quickly across the empty parking lot where her shiny car was parked. _Now or never._ Taking my chance, I emerged from the shadows and charged, ramming into her and knocking her flat on her back.

She narrowly avoided cracking her head on the sidewalk, and gazed up at me uncomprehendingly as I pinned her down. "You!" she managed to squeak. I took this opportunity to quickly grab the sleeping drugs from my bag and force them into her mouth.

"Yes, bitch, me!" I snarled, holding her mouth closed to force her to swallow them. She tried to spit them back up, but eventually they slid down her throat.

"And, surprise surprise, it's me, Ali! Oh, but I think you already know that!" I hissed, putting my face close to hers. The drugs were already taking their toll, and her movements became less forceful. Quickly, I duct taped her mouth shut and tied her hands and feet together, then propped her against one of my car's tires so that she was on eye level with me.

She stared at me with wide, wide eyes that were quickly filling with tears. "Now, let me explain my whole damn story from the beginning." I smiled sweetly.

"The bitch named Courtney was insane, but she managed to switch places with me at the beginning of 6th grade, which is when she befriended your loser of a sister. At the end of seventh, I managed to take my revenge, and I killed my her! Now, I've managed to convince your sister and the other pretty little losers that YOU'RE the one that murdered Courtney! So now they think you're evil, and I'm going to kill them, along with you, at the Poconos tonight! Isn't that an amazing story?" I giggled girlishly. Suddenly, my face contorted with anger, and I leaned in close to her. "Only it isn't a story, bitch. It's my damn screwed-up life! Now everyone's going to pay for what they put me through."

It felt so good to finally be able to tell my brilliant plan to someone—even if she was my hostage. Her eyes had remained wide this whole time, horrified at what I had done.

"The next time you wake up, you will be in my Poconos house, next to Ian Thomas's dead body!" I cackled with laughter as she let out a muffled scream and fought against the ropes holding her. It was pointless, though—the drugs had taken their effect, and she was almost asleep. Killing Ian had been easy and quick, and I'd enjoyed giving the girls a little scare by letting them spot his body.

"And I'll time it so that a few minutes after you wake up, the fire will be lit and you will all die! Won't that be great?" I continued, calmly eating a cracker.

She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "So, _sis_," I said mockingly. "Before I drug you so you won't wake up until tonight, I have a present for you." I pulled out my large, pure metal water bottle—I had just had an idea.

"This is 100% metal, so it hurts even when you bump into it!" I explained, waving it in front of her face. Her eyes watched it fearfully. In one quick movement, I smashed it into the side of her head. A little blood leaked out, and an angry red mark appeared.

She fell over, making muffled noises that sounded like pleas for me to stop. I bashed her head again and again, until she was unconscious. Staring at her lifeless figure, I giggled to myself. _That was fun_, I thought, shoving her into the trunk of my car.

I ripped up the file that she had gotten from the Preserve at lit the pieces on fire with the glowing butt of a cigarette that was lying in the middle of the trashy parking lot. After rifling through Melissa's purse until I found her car keys, I stuck them into the ignition of her car and left the doors unlocked. The car would be stolen before we got out of the city, making it impossible to figure out if she had been here.

I hurriedly hopped into my car and started home. I would be back around 10:30, and could sneak through my window and say that I had slept late.

I chuckled slyly to myself. Having a kidnap victim was so much more fun than I thought it would be.

And now that Melissa was out of the way, there was nothing stopping me from killing the four bitches with my cold, bare hands.


	17. Falling into place

**Hey, everybody! As usual, thanks for reviewing! Keep it up! This is a really long chapter, because it combined several from the book. Enjoy :)**

Around noon on Saturday, I got in my car and drove to the King James mall, pausing on my way to give Melissa a slice of stale bread and some more drugs. I grinned to myself while I was driving, listening to her feeble protests coming from the trunk.

My plan had worked perfectly: I had gotten back around 10:30, silently parked my car in the driveway, and snuck into my room through the window, going down to the kitchen and telling my parents that I had slept late. Now I was going to the mall—I was supposed to meet "my" clique there at 2:00, but I wanted to buy my dress beforehand, so I wouldn't have to deal with any of their tiresome input.

I parked and strolled through the mall, enjoying the awed onlookers staring at me, dressed in a blue camisole, skinny jeans, and high-heeled black boots, with my hair pulled into a high ponytail. Eventually, I came to a stop in front of my all-time favorite, the Marc Jacobs store.

After over an hour of combing through the entire store, I had found a tight, V-neck, lacy red dress, some black stiletto slingbacks, and a matching black purse. I smiled to myself as I paid for the items of clothing (which were nearly $700 total). I would look twice as good as Emily in some torn dress of her sister's, Spencer in her skanky leather one, Aria in whatever type of Icelandic kilt that she wore, and even Hanna, no matter what designer she bought from.

I glanced at my phone. 1:45, time to go meet the bitches.

I put my bag in my car and walked to Saks, where I had told them to meet me. They had vouched for Sephora, but I had patiently explained that although Sephora makeup was pretty, it was slightly childish. Saks was _the_ place to be.

The girls showed up one by one. First there was Emily, who looked at me shyly like she wanted to kiss me, but before she could, Spencer showed up in her prepster clothing. Lastly, there was Hanna, who squealed and hugged me like the bffs that she thought we were.

We walked into Saks, noticing the Ali and Jenna shrines by the door. "If only they knew." Spencer whispered to me. _Yes, if only they did…_

We headed over to the makeup counter, pushing aside the wannabes that were smearing creams on their face in a worthless attempt to look pretty. I advised Emily to try some blush and pointed out a foundation that would look good on Spencer, then started to teach Hanna the basics of eye shadow testing.

Suddenly, a movement caught my eye. Turning my head slightly so none of the other girls would notice, I saw Aria peeking at us from behind some Ralph Lauren sweaters. Was she stalking us or something? I didn't call her over—no need to force her to come. If now was the right time to bring her into the group, then she would bring herself to come talk to us.

I turned back to Emily, who looked as though her cheeks had been sunburned. "Emily, that color looks awesome on you," I lied smoothly, wanting her to look as hideous as possible at the dance.

"We should buy some extra makeup and bring it to the Poconos after the dance!" Spencer suggested. "We could give each other makeovers."

I smiled, burying the snigger that had come to my lips. Makeovers wasn't exactly what I had in store for them at the Poconos. "Yeah, that's a great idea." _Maybe we should—then at least they could die looking pretty!_

I looked in the mirror again and, to my disappointment, watched Aria march out of the store, pulling her obnoxious little bro behind her. Out of the foursome, she was the smartest: the only one that actually had the sense to stay away from me.

Eventually, we decided that we had enough makeup, and headed out of the store, our arms piled high with it. I suggested that we go to Spencer's, because it would be much easier to get them to suspect Melissa if they saw the proof that I had planted on her computer.

Once we were in her room, I asked them to tell me what had happened while I was at the mental hospital. It would be kind of interesting to hear about their dirty little lives, and it was a good way to get them to think about painful memories.

Spencer went first, talking about her affair with Wren, Melissa's old boyfriend. She tried to explain to me that it wasn't her fault at all, she was so innocent and harmless, blah blah blah. I painted my nails with Chanel's Purple Rain nail polish, trying to tune out her know-it-all voice.

"Were you in love with Wren?" I asked finally. Wren sounded like a man-whore, and I wanted to know how low her standards were.

Spencer thought about it. "Nah."

"What about Andrew?" I asked. She looked stunned, and Emily and Hanna both looked up.

"I-I don't know." She stammered. "Maybe…"

I almost burst out laughing: she was in love with that scrawny nerd? Then, however, I realized that that might not keep me on the best terms with her, so I squealed my congratulations and grabbed her hands.

Hanna turned to me. "What about you, Ali? Do you miss Ian?"

_Oh, here we go._ This was the kind of question that I needed to edge around. Truth was, I would rather have worn clothes from Target for a month than have _ever_ dated Ian Thomas, but my slutty twin clearly had had a different point of view. "Definitely not," I finally answered.

"How did you guys get together, anyway?" Spencer asked, leaning forward.

I looked down, pretending to be preoccupied with some Chanel lipstick. "Um, long story. I've moved way on."

To my relief, they dropped it immediately. "So, are you guys ready for the Poconos tonight?" I asked excitedly, changing the subject. After they agreed, I voiced that I wished Aria would come, too. Maybe they could help me think of some ideas to get her to come.

"She's been through a lot, lately. I think she finds it really hard to trust people," Emily explained.

I smiled, knowing that _I_ was the reason that she had been through so much. My remark was drowned by the television flashing the words _Breaking News _across the screen.

A reporter started talking about how there was a strong chance that Billy Ford hadn't taken the photos and so hadn't killed my sister. My eyes lit up, as this would be the perfect chance to introduce the theory that Melissa was the murderer.

After the news flash ended, I turned to the silent girls. "This is crazy. Billy killed my sister. I know it." I was hoping for one of them to introduce the Melissa theory, so it wouldn't make me look suspicious.

Hanna looked nervous. "Yeah, but that face doesn't look like Billy's."

"Have you ever heard of Photoshop?" I retorted, knowing full well that you can't Photoshop a Polaroid. Sure enough, Spencer pointed that out right after.

I looked around at the bitches, waiting for one of them to voice their theory. Finally, Spencer took a deep breath, and asked nervously, "What if Billy didn't take the pictures?"

"But then who did?" Hanna bit her nail.

Spencer looked at me hesitantly. "What if…Melissa took them?"

_Yes! Yes, yes, yes! _I knew that my brilliant plan would work!

"She hated you, Ali," Spencer continued quickly. "Melissa knew that you and Ian were dating, and she wanted revenge."

Wow, I didn't even know that Melissa knew that. This was working better than I had hoped. "What are you saying?" I asked in my best naïve voice.

She looked me right in the eye, and told me a whole plan that "Melissa" had done. If she had substituted my name instead of Melissa's, then it would actually be really close to what actually happened.

Emily decided that it fit better than anyone else, and Hanna nodded quickly. I was so proud of myself for thinking up this foolproof idea. "Do you think Melissa could've killed Ian, too? And Jenna?" I prompted, hoping to pin all of my actions on her.

"I don't know, maybe Ian and Jenna found out the truth," Spencer whispered. _That's exactly what they had done, but it wasn't anything to do with Melissa, you idiots._

They made several more accusations about Melissa that, in reality, I had done. Eventually, I saw an opportunity for my plan to fit in. "Guys, maybe we should just ask her."

They protested immediately, but I assured them that there was strength in numbers, and marched over to Melissa's room.

I walked inside immediately, knowing full well that she wouldn't be in here. I asked Spencer where she was, giggling to myself.

Spencer furrowed her brow. "I haven't seen her all day," she admitted.

Emily suddenly gasped. "Guys, you'd better come here," she said in a hushed voice. She was staring at Melissa's computer screen.

I smiled triumphantly: my plan was complete. It was the picture of Courtney (who they thought was me) with the words YOU'RE DEAD, BITCH scrawled across the top. I had found this tucked away in Courtney's diary, as Mona must have left it there. I simply copied it onto my computer and sent it to Melissa in a spam email, so it would automatically pop up on her screen, making her look like she had been using it.

I feigned a look of horrified shock on my face. "I don't understand!" I whined pitifully. "That's my photo. What's it doing here?"

Spencer and Emily explained that Mona had written it, but I had a cover story. "Mona didn't do that. That Polaroid showed up in my mailbox years ago—with that writing on it. I just figured it was a stupid prank!" I added when Spencer started to ask why I didn't tell them.

Emily turned back to the screen. "But if Mona didn't do this, and it's on Melissa's computer…" _Wow, way to add 2 and 2, dumbass._ I sarcastically said in my head.

Spencer started pacing around the room, then stopped and demanded that we should tell Wilden.

I couldn't let that happen. Dealing with these morons was one thing, but Wilden was a cop, and he might be smart enough to figure out my master plan. I cast my eyes around the room, searching for something that would make it seem like Melissa was out of the way.

Then I saw it: a pamphlet for the Preserve. "Actually, maybe we don't have to worry about Melissa right now. I pointed to the pamphlet, watching their eyes widen as they traveled down my arm and came to a stop at the slip of paper.

We unfolded the pamphlet and learned that she had an appointment with Dr. Foster. _My old therapist._ _That's who she was seeing this morning, who told her everything._ "Dr. Foster is one of the psychiatrists there," I told the girls nonchalantly. "Maybe Melissa's decided to check herself in."

The girls agreed, and we went back to Spencer's room. After a few minutes of awkward silence, though, I told them that I was going home to change and I would see them at the dance.

I drove home slowly, listening to Melissa's feeble protests coming from the trunk. I would give her another shot of drugs right before I left for the dance.

Everything was set in motion. I wriggled with glee thinking about how in less than 12 hours, my main enemies would be dead, and I could enjoy my used-to-be perfect life once more.


	18. A seductive night of dancing

**Hey everybody! I am so sorry that I haven't updated in five days, but I have been **_**so**_** busy. I hope that this chapter will make up for it, though! This is the first part of the dance. There will only be two more chapters after this, I think, so I hope everyone likes it! It's pretty long, too. As always, thanks for the reviews, and keep reviewing, everyone! Thanks! Alright, on with the story :)**

I brushed a speck of dust off of my dress and took out the last curling iron from my hair. _Oh, hell yes, _I thought, staring at myself in the mirror. I looked better than a high school girl going to a dance—I could easily be a Covergirl model.

As I waited for Hanna to get to my house (she had insisted on riding with me, but I hadn't wanted to waste the time picking her up, so she was driving to my house and we were riding to the dance in my car), I double checked that I had everything. Matches, propane, drugs, and the note were the in my bag, along with makeup, hair products, my phone, booze, and snacks.

I walked out to my car and gave a feebly stirring Melissa one last major dose of drugs that would last her until we got to the Poconos. God, I couldn't _wait!_ In less than six hours, the five major bitches in my life would be gone for good.

I leaned against my car, listening to the crickets chirping in the still night air. My fingers ran over some thin, puckered markings on my wrist, and I looked down at the scars. The Preserve had been worse than I let on most of the time, and could anyone blame me for finding a way to get rid of the emotional pain, even if it was a little extreme?

My mind started to wander back towards that time, back to having to take therapy, crying in my room at night, pleading with people to believe me when no one turned their head, trying to tune out the world with alcohol and cutting… _Stop it._ I had sworn to myself that I would _never_ revisit that time in my life. I was out, and I was seeking revenge, and that was all that mattered.

Before long, Hanna's Prius rolled into view. Hanna stepped out in some grape-colored dress, and I gave her a big smile and a fake compliment. We slid into my car, driving in near silence to the dance.

The walkway leading up to the big party tent was lined with pink carpet. Couples were strolling along it, trying to act like suave celebrities. I stepped coyly out of the car, and everyone's eyes flashed towards me. Ignoring this, I pulled out my cell and called some freshmen boys that I had convinced to pass out the flyers, smiling at the memory of them drooling when I approached and agreeing without even listening to what I was asking.

They assured me that everything was in place, and I passed that along to Hanna. Suddenly, Darren Wilden approached us, nodding formally at me. Chills ran down my back—I had managed to dodge all of his questions so far, but he still seemed a little suspicious of me. Before he could start grilling me about my sister, I scampered up the carpet, leaving Hanna with no choice but to talk to him.

I sashayed into the party tent, noticing the two freshmen boys handing out the last of Kate, Naomi, and Riley's love letters. Hanna quickly appeared beside me, and I pointed to everyone reading the incriminating notes.

Just then, Kate, Naomi, and Riley entered the tent, dressed in similar whore-dresses. They looked around and noticed everyone laughing at them. Quickly, Kate snatched a flyer from the nearest person, with Naomi and Riley reading over her shoulder.

Their eyes bugged and their mouths formed into perfect O's. Hanna sauntered up to them, presumably to gloat, but I turned away and disappeared into the crowd. I really didn't need them whining to me about how we were supposed to be friends, and besides, the look on their faces had been enough revenge. They were out of the popular crowd, and I was back at Spot Number One.

Suddenly, James Freed appeared before me. "Hey, Courtney."

I gave him a quick once-over. He was in a crisp black suit that showed off his muscles. His dark brown hair fell into his face in a way that highlighted his angular cheekbones and ocean-blue eyes. In simple terms, he was very hot tonight. "Hey," I said coyly, curling a lock of my hair around my finger.

"So, uh…Wanna dance?" He offered me his hand. He _was_ one of the hottest guys in school. _Hey, this is a dance. Why not have some fun, Ali?_ I grinned up at him, and let him lead me onto the dance floor.

As we moved to the center of the crowd, I noticed Spencer dancing with Andrew Campbell a few feet away. No way was I going over there, though—this was my time to have fun. Hanna appeared beside us a few moments later, and I ignored her too. She seemed fine with this, dancing like she was at a club.

James and I started dancing. He moved behind me eventually, and we started grinding. _God, he is so sexy._ Once I killed the bitches, I would be able to focus on my social life, and he would make an ideal boyfriend.

After a while, he peeled away from me and started trying some Justin Timberlake dance moves with some of his friends. I opened my eyes to find Emily standing right next to me. "Hey," she whispered.

She had actually bought the $200 dress that I had told her to, even though that was probably two years' worth of savings. Her face was sparkly, clearly from an overdose of bronzer, and her hair looked crushed—I recognized the marks of a flat iron. Clearly, she had gone all out to impress me, and expected me to be dazzled at the sight of her.

"Hey, Em!" I said, turning away and resuming my dancing. I snorted with laughter at the shocked, hurt expression on her face. She waited, obviously expecting me to turn around and tell her how fabulous she looked. Instead, I whispered to Hanna, "Kate looks like a cherry tomato in her dress." Hanna laughed cruelly.

The music morphed into a lovesong, and couples fell into each other's arms and started to slow dance. Emily half-raised her arms hopefully, but I pointedly turned to James and pressed myself against him. No freaking way was I going to _slow dance_ with _Emily._

James and I rocked back and forth to the music. I closed my eyes, feeling more content than I had in a while. Finally, I was just getting some time to enjoy the life that had been kept away from me for so long. Emily watched us the entire three minutes, looking like a lovesick puppy watching its owner drive away. I knew that I shouldn't be teasing her like this, but it was just so damn fun.

When the song ended, James and I broke apart. I giggled, and he smiled back. Before I could start my seductive dance again, however, Emily grabbed my arm and spun me around. "I need to talk to you," she said firmly.

I smiled innocently. "Sure, what's up?"

"Alone!" she demanded, leading me towards the bathroom. I sighed—I had known that this was coming.

When we walked into the bathroom, I checked that all the stalls were empty before, once again, turning my back on Emily and admiring myself in the mirror. "Why are you being like this?" she finally whined.

I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" I asked in an annoyed tone, not taking my eyes off the mirror.

"You're ignoring me!" she squeaked, her eyes filling with tears. God, why was she _so_ desperate?

"No, I'm not!" I mustered my best indignant tone of voice.

She stamped her foot like a demanding two-year-old. "Ali, yes you are!"

I glared at her. She could _not_ blow my cover now, not when I was so close. "Call me Courtney, remember?"

"Fine, Courtney!" she huffed, turning away and pouting. Suddenly, she whipped back to face me. "You know, friends don't jerk friends around!" she accused, pointing a finger at me. "Friends don't give each other mixed messages. And…I don't think I can handle being friends if things are going to be the same as they were before!"

I was stunned. She couldn't just decide not to be friends. She was supposed to be the one that would do anything for me! I decided that it was time to stop showing that I didn't care and start being (sigh) _romantic._ "I don't want things to be the same, I want them to be better!"

"They aren't better!" Emily shrieked, waving her arms wildly. "They're worse!"

It was time to make her feel guilty. I made myself shrink, and arranged my face into a resigned, sad expression. "Nothing is good enough for you, Em."

It worked perfectly, of course. Emily immediately reached for me, looking close to tears. "Ali, I'm sorry," she whimpered.

I shook her off and turned away. Sighing inwardly, I decided to get the whole thing over with. I knew that I would have to have a makeout session sometime with her, and it seemed like she needed it now more than ever.

Telling myself that it would be over soon, I yanked her into a stall and pressed myself against her in one fluid movement. Locking the stall door with one hand, I grabbed the back of her neck with the other and pressed our mouths together. Even when I was in one of the most disgusting moments of my life, I was still a good kisser. Emily, meanwhile, was as stiff as a board the whole time. I wondered if this was her first kiss since she had practically assaulted my sister in our old tree house.

After several agonizing minutes, I pulled away. "What was that for?" she asked, panting.

I remembered the last thing that she had said to me, and said it right back. "I'm sorry, too." I then walked out of the stall and back into the tent, pausing to make sure that my reflection was still stunning.

As I headed back towards the dance floor, I was suddenly stopped by James Freed. "Hey, Courtney," he said, grabbing my hand. "I was wondering…wouldn't it be nice if we could get away from all these people for a while? Go to my car or something?"

I glanced at the clock, which read 8:30. I had told the girls to meet me at the car at 9:30 exactly. No doubt James wanted a hot makeout session, and maybe more than that. I was torn—that sounded amazing right now, but I still had to break Noel and Aria up, _and_ get Aria to come to the Poconos…

I stopped myself. After the girls died, I would have to pretend to be depressed for at least a few weeks. This might be the last fun opportunity for a while. This was a dance after all, so why not have a good time?

I smiled at James. "That sounds great," I said flirtatiously, allowing him to lead me out of the tent and into the night.


	19. Tying loose ends

**Oh my gosh, second-to-last chapter! Well, not counting the author's note, which will **_**technically**_** be the last chapter. Anyway, sorry for not updating in a couple days, especially since this isn't one of my longest chapters, but I've been really busy! I had to try out for an elite Junior Olympic volleyball team (which I made, in case anyone is wondering), and we had our school volleyball tournament this week. I still really like this chapter, though, and I hope everyone else does, too! Don't forget to review! Thanks :)**

At 9:15, I got out of James's car, straightened my dress, and walked back towards the tent with a big smile on my face.

James and I hadn't just made out—we had gone all the way. It wasn't like it was my first time: most guys at the Preserve hadn't been very insane, either. I had gone to second base more times than I could count, and I had actually done it with two of them. First, there was Brett Anderson, a tall, muscular bad boy who got sent to the Preserve for causing an old lady to have a concussion when he ran into her with his motorcycle. The other was Aiden Dower, a sexy green-eyed boy who seemed quiet at first but had a _very_ wild side.

Still, I had really enjoyed the experience with James. I had made him promise not to tell anyone, though—I still needed to kiss Noel to break Aria and him up, and I didn't want to seem like the school's whore already.

I quickly headed back into the party tent and made a beeline for Noel. This needed to be done fast, as I had less than 20 minutes before I was supposed to meet the bitches at my car.

Loitering behind a pillar, I saw Aria tell Noel that she was going to the bathroom. Noel watched her walk away, then walked over to the chocolate fountain and dipped a strawberry into it. I came up behind him. "Hey."

He started and turned around. "Hey," he said, his mouth full of strawberry.

I walked closer. "So, how do you like the dance?"

He started talking about how cool it was, and I nodded absentmindedly. Suddenly, he said hesitantly, "Hey, I'm glad that you're letting yourself have fun. It must be hard, with people asking you all about your sister and everything."

I nodded, making myself teary-eyed. "Yeah, I try. It's just…so hard, losing a sibling, y'know?" I loved that I could pretend to connect with him about Courtney dying, since he had gone through the same thing. "I'm glad that I can talk to you about this kind of stuff," I said softly, gazing up at him. I moved even closer, so that our bodies were almost touching.

Noel started to move closer, then away, and ended up just staying where he was. "I…" he stuttered.

Before he could say anything else, I pressed my mouth to his. _Score!_ As if he didn't realize what he was doing, he kissed me back. I had kissed three people tonight, one of them being a girl, and yet he was the best kisser by far. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he grabbed my waist, pulling me closer.

I could hear people gasping around us, but I couldn't stop kissing until Aria saw. Opening my eyes a crack, I looked around for her.

Suddenly, she emerged from the crowd, her face twisted with shock and rage. Deciding that now was the right time, I pulled away from Noel and slapped him hard across the cheek. "What are you doing?" I shrieked, pretending that I hadn't seen Aria.

He looked immensely confused. "What? I don't…"

I made my features as furious as possible. "Aria is my friend! Who the _hell_ do you think I am?" I turned, as if to walk away, then locked eyes with Aria.

Noel saw her, too. He shook his head frantically, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. _Poor Noel—he must be so confused._ I wished that I didn't have to send him all the mixed signals.

I stood a few feet away, watching while Aria started talking to him in a strangled whisper. "You said she didn't matter," she breathed. "You said you didn't like her. You wanted me to give her a chance!"

_Whoa, now. He said he didn't like me? Oh, he totally deserved that slap._ Before I could ponder that further, however, Aria turned on her heel and fled through the crowd. _My work here is done, _I thought, starting to chase her.

She had nearly reached the door when I grabbed her arm. "I'm so sorry," I said, my voice oozing with sincerity. "He just…smothered me!"

She didn't push me away, but kept walking. I kept pace with her, hoping that she would say something. When we got to the parking lot, I saw Emily, Hanna, and Spencer wave at me from my car. I waved back enthusiastically, hoping that Aria would notice.

Sure enough, she seemed to be having some inner battle. I wondered whether I should mention the trip or just wait for her to say something. Finally, she spoke up. "Um, about your Poconos trip." She addressed the ground. "Do you think there's…room for one more?"

_Yes! Oh, hell yes!_ This was perfect—I had won the game. I hugged Aria, wiggling with glee. "I thought you'd never ask!" I exclaimed sweetly, leering behind her back.

I pulled her across the parking lot before she had time to change her mind. "We're going to have such a great time, I promise," I babbled, trying to get her into the car. "You'll forget all about Noel, and tomorrow, we'll find you someone even hotter!" _Well, we would, if you weren't going to be dead tomorrow._

"Look who I found!" I cried to the rest of the bitches. "She's coming with us!"

Everyone cheered. As we were getting in the car, there was a _thump! _from the trunk. The drugs that I gave Melissa must have been wearing off. I pretended not to hear, hoping against hope that no one else had. But, of course, the most difficult bitch had to speak up. "Did you hear that?" Aria asked.

I wrinkled my forehead. "Hear what?" We all fell silent, but there was no noise except for the wind. The feeble noise must have exhausted Melissa too much to make another sound.

"I guess it's nothing," Aria told us, to my relief. "It's probably just some kids hooking up."

I laughed. "Sluts," I yelled, as if I hadn't done that exact thing half an hour ago. I quickly ushered them into the car. Once they were all in, I turned up the music as loud as it would go, so any other noises Melissa made would be completely drowned out.

"Let's go, bitches!" I cried, loving that they thought I was kidding.

In about three hours, I wouldn't have to deal with these four bitches ever again.


	20. The end is near

**Wow, I can't believe that this is the last chapter! It's the longest one yet, too. I'm sorry that it ends abruptly, but if you've read the 9****th**** PLL book, then you'll know that it's unclear whether she died or not in the fire. Anyway, I will have the author's note up in a couple hours, in which I'll thank each and every one of you awesome people! PLEASE don't forget to review this chapter, though, as it will be one of your last opportunities! Thanks, and enjoy! :)**

We drove out of the city limits and towards the Pocono mountains, singing along to the music. _Enjoy the scenery, bitches,_ I thought. _This will be the last time you ever see your darling Rosewood. _It used to be my home, my haven, too…before everything in my life was taken. _And that's why I'm doing what I'm doing now._

We finally arrived at my Poconos house. I looked around as we walked inside, remembering that the last time I was here, I was storing Ian Thomas's dead body in the closet upstairs. There was a smell in the air of something dead, which the girls probably thought was a squirrel or raccoon, but that I knew was Ian himself. I didn't mention the stench, and they followed my lead.

"Drinks?" I suggested, heading into the kitchen. They agreed and unloaded the groceries that I had brought: low-fat tortilla chips, M&Ms, Coke, Red Bull, vodka, and, just so I could watch Hanna stuff herself one last time, Cheese-Its. Spencer, always the neat freak, laid everything out on a tray before we walked into the den.

The four girls immediately bounded over to a picture of "me" and them canoeing, which I would _never_ do, talking about how much fun it was. I zoned out, pondering how exactly I was going to kill them, when Hanna asked me about something that happened that day. I mumbled a response, deciding that before I killed anyone, I needed to get Melissa inside.

"Hot tub time!" I declared, throwing expensive Marc Jacobs bikinis at them. "Make yourselves fresh cocktails and change while I go outside and…turn it on." I knew that I wouldn't have time to turn the hot tub on _and_ get Melissa inside, but I could just pretend that it wasn't working.

They each drifted off to one of the house's many bathrooms, and I snuck around to the car. Popping the trunk, I clapped my hand over Melissa's mouth before she could make a sound. She tried to squirm away from me, but I punched her hard—I was surprisingly strong, and she crumpled.

She fell into my arms, half-awake, and I eased her out of the car. As I silently pulled her into the house, I could hear the girls heading out to the porch. Melissa went limp, probably from a mixture of drugs, getting punched, and having no food or water all day. I dragged her up the steps, one by one. "Come _on_," I groaned. The girls would come back to check on me any minute.

At last, I managed to pull her into the bedroom and open the closet. Her eyes widened in absolute horror as Ian's body shifted into view, but before she could protest, I stuffed her inside with a loud _thump!_, shutting the door and locking it tight. She moaned and pounded against the door for a few seconds, then all was still.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from downstairs. "Ali?" Hanna called, her voice high-pitched and scared.

Panicking, I ran downstairs and grabbed my towel and bathing suit, then followed the sound of Emily desperately calling for me. "Ali!" she shrieked out of the doorway.

"What?" I asked nonchalantly. They all whirled around. "Where have you _been?_" I asked, forcing a laugh. "I went to check the hot tub, and I couldn't find you guys! I was so scared!"

Everyone stared at me for a long beat, then walked slowly back into the house, glancing behind them out into the dark night. I smiled at them reassuringly, and they seemed to relax. "The hot tub is way too cold," I told them. "But there are lots of other things we can do."

We walked into the living room, and I decided to propose my idea. I had thought of a brilliant way to lead up to killing them. I breathed deeply, and said, "So, now that the hot tub idea is a bust, I have a proposition for you."

"What?" they asked eagerly.

I fidgeted nervously. They needed to agree to this, but they would hate the idea. I told them that I wanted to recreate "our" last sleepover. They agreed to this, but froze when I said that I needed to hypnotize them. Hanna even stopped stuffing her face with Cheese-Its, which had been funny to watch. "Uh…" Aria stammered.

I begged and pleaded until, one by one, they consented. This was just like the last sleepover…well, except this time, I wasn't watching through the curtains.

"Thank you!" I squealed. "Let's do it in the upstairs bedroom, though. It's, um, more intimate, more like the barn was."

I quickly led them to the upstairs bedroom, inwardly cursing myself for leaving the door ajar and hoping that they wouldn't notice. As soon as we walked inside, we were hit with a burst of rotting air—the smell of Ian's body.

"What's that smell?" Spencer complained.

"Maybe there's something dead inside the walls," I suggested, wrinkling my nose. "Remember when that happened the summer between sixth and seventh grade? I think it was a raccoon." Of course, I never knew if that had happened or not, but Spencer didn't object. Why would she?

Suddenly, Aria froze, her eyes wide. "Did you hear that?"

Yes, I had. Melissa had coughed very quietly from inside the closet. Damn, did Aria suddenly have superwoman hearing or what?

We all shook our heads, but Aria persisted. "I think I heard someone cough. Is there someone outside?"

Thank God she guessed wrong. I pulled back the blinds, letting them see with their own eyes that the only movement in the yard was a lone black cat. "Nothing," I told them softly, acting nervous.

Everyone let out a breath. "We're psyching ourselves out. We've got to calm down," Spencer said finally.

I had them sit down, then lit six vanilla candles. I had hated the scent of vanilla ever since I was little, because Courtney absolutely loved it. I had always preferred lavender or rose blossom. However, the girls thought it was _me_ that loved vanilla, so I just tried not to gag as the fumes wafted up at me.

"Okay, um, just relax," I told the girls. They reluctantly closed their eyes. "Your heartbeat's slowing down." I repeated the words that I had heard Courtney utter in the barn, so many years ago. "Think calm thoughts. I'm going to count down from one hundred, and as soon as I touch all of you, you'll be in my power."

No one moved. I could hear them breathing in and out evenly. The flickering candles made shadows dance across the walls. "One hundred…ninety-nine…ninety-eight…"

"Sixty-four…sixty-three…"

"Thirty-seven…thirty-six…thirty-five…"

"Nineteen…eighteen…seventeen…"

"Three…two…one."

I finished the count, and slowly touched their foreheads with my thumb. _It actually worked._ I had never really believed in hypnosis, and figured that I could just slip out of the room while they were distracted. But it seemed like they really _were_ hypnotized.

It was absolutely silent. "Keep dreaming," I whispered to them, hoping that my voice would penetrate their subconscious. "Wake up as soon as I walk out of the room. Good-bye forever…bitches."

I crept out of the room and locked the door tightly, shoving a chair in front of it as an extra precaution. I waited in the hall, my ear pressed against the door, as someone stirred.

"Guys? Ali?" It was Spencer's voice.

One by one, the other's voices floated out to me. "Where's Ali?" they all asked.

"I think…I think something's wrong with Ali," Spencer whispered.

There was dead silence, then she elaborated. "I think the girl at the window of the barn was Ali's sister. I think that's who killed her!"

Ah, so they had finally figured it out! I pulled the note out of my purse and slipped it under the door. Snickering, I headed downstairs.

It was _finally _done! All the brilliant schemes, the plots that I never thought would actually work…It was done. Every tiny little piece had fallen into place: I had made the bitches who ruined my life miserable, figured out how to kill them, been able to pin it on someone else, and regained my Queen Bee status, all at once!

I brought out the jug of propane that my family always kept in a cabinet, as the house had an old-fashioned propane heater. I unscrewed the lid and held the jug upside down as I walked around the house, spraying the liquid everywhere. I put an extra large amount outside the room where the girls were now reading the letter, snickering at their horrified outbursts at what I had done.

Once the bottle was empty and the floor was wet with propane, I fished the box of matches out of my bag and lit one. Holding it just above the trail of propane, I looked around one last time.

I would miss this house—the handmade wood furniture, the fire pit in our backyard, the cozy feeling that being this far out in the country brought. I quickly snapped out of it, though—_No time to be sentimental, Ali._ I was willing to give up all of that cute little antiqueness for the greater good: revenge.

Without another thought, I dropped the match onto the shiny liquid. The fire spread quickly, streaking around corners and up the stairs, following the propane's path. I stood for a moment, a wide smile on my lips, watching the beautiful red-gold flames flickering, breathing in the woodsy smell of smoke that was filling the air, and listening gleefully to the desperate cries of Courtney's posse and Melissa, trapped upstairs.

Then, I sprang back to work. I had to make this house escape-proof, not that they could get out of that room anyway. Then I would slip out the front door (locking it behind me), watch the house explode on the lawn, and scrunch my face up and cry when the fire department arrived.

Getting out my dad's old toolbox, I started nailing windows shut. All of a sudden, there was a loud _bang _behind me. I turned around and couldn't believe my eyes.

Somehow the bitches had escaped! I couldn't believe that it was true, but there they were, in the flesh. They had even managed to find and rescue Melissa. _Damn it. _Oh well, this didn't mean that they were going to escape. If I worked quickly, I could run out the front door and board it up from the outside.

I sprinted for the door, and was almost there when a hand grabbed my arm and spun me around. It was Emily, her skin stained with soot, her eyebrows forming a V. "How could you do this?" she screamed.

I struggled to break free, glaring at her with utter hatred. "I already told you, you bitches ruined my life," I spat at her.

Her eyes filled with tears, her chin wobbling. "But…I loved you!" she whined in a squeaky voice.

I stopped struggling, not able to resist a moment to gloat. "You are such a loser, Emily!" I told her, doubling over with laughter at the agonized expression on her face. Tears started to spill down her cheeks, and she squeezed my shoulders hard, which only made me laugh more.

Suddenly, there was a huge _boom_ as an explosion rocked the house. Emily and I flew in separate directions. For a moment, the world was white, calm, and peaceful. Then I flew into the dining room table, knocking it to the ground and hitting my head hard.

For a moment, I was too dazed to move. Then, I slowly pushed the rubble of the table off of me, ignoring the blood dripping off of me and the pain in my left arm and ankle. Through the smoke, I could see five shapes disappearing through the door and out onto the lawn.

"_No!"_ I growled, crawling and sliding towards the door. _They will_ not_ escape. I'll kill them with my bare hands if I have to._

As I neared the door, the house started to shake, and chunks began raining down around me. I had to make it. I reached out for the handle…

And suddenly, a much bigger explosion ripped the world apart, ending everything in a flash of white.


	21. Author's Note!

**Author's Note :)**

**Oh my gosh, I can't believe that it's over! I have LOVED writing this story, especially since Alison's point of view is so fun :)**

**Now on to the many people that I have to thank!**

**Its like Hazy Days, for my first review ever on this story, and a few after that!**

**Pinkcrazyness, Kara Macintosh, GildedGardens, and Bluemoon9 for lots of wonderful reviews!**

**I want to ESPECIALLY thank Panda122 for lots of very long, in-depth, helpful reviews! You're my Number One reviewer!**

**I don't think that I'm forgetting anyone, but thanks to anyone else that had anything to do with this story, just in case!**

**I might write another Pretty Little Liars books story, but for now, I'm going back to Titanic stories. I've already written one for Titanic, and I can't wait to start another. Titanic is my favorite movie of all time, no comparison, and I advise everyone to watch it—well, if you don't mind crying your eyes out!**

**One last very important thing: I AM NOW A BETA READER! If anyone would like me to revise their stories, don't hesitate to ask!**

**So, I guess this is it. I now must switch this story from In-Progress to Complete. It's been awesome, everybody! As always, I hope you enjoyed.**

**Love you guys! **

**Volleyballgirl122 (a.k.a. Natalie)**


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